Foreign ministers from 21 nations spanning Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America issued a joint statement on 21 August condemning Israel’s approval of a large-scale settlement project in the occupied West Bank. Calling the decision “unacceptable” and “a violation of international law,” the group urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to reverse the measure immediately. Signatories include the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Australia, Canada, Belgium and the Nordic states. They warned that unilateral settlement expansion undermines regional security, fuels further violence and erodes the viability of a two-state solution, citing obligations set out in UN Security Council Resolution 2334. Israel’s higher planning committee had cleared the project a day earlier. The plan would allow construction of roughly 3,400 homes in the so-called E1 corridor between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement—territory that Palestinian officials say is critical for maintaining contiguity between the northern and southern West Bank. Critics argue that building in E1 would effectively bisect any future Palestinian state and “bury” prospects for peace talks. Jerusalem had suspended the project for years under international pressure; the ministry bloc has not yet responded publicly to the latest collective rebuke.