For decades, governments worldwide, including Canada, have urged Israel to halt development in E-1, recognizing the devastating blow it would deliver to any hope of a negotiated two-state solution.
That long-standing restraint has now been abandoned. Whether through a loss of political will or deliberate alignment with the most extreme elements of the settler movement, this plan gives a green light to actions that will cause irreparable harm.
E-1 has always been understood for what it is: an attempt to split the West Bank in two, impose facts on the ground, and block the creation of a viable Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said as much openly, boasting that these settlements will “bury the idea of a Palestinian state”. These settlements are designed to make peace impossible and are a direct affront to the international community.
This is not inevitable. Canada must make good on its commitment to recognizing a Palestinian state by taking concrete steps that signal to the Israeli government that this plan cannot proceed. While Canada has sanctioned Minister Smotrich, it must go further, banning all trade with illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and sanctioning not only individuals but also settler organizations that enable these developments.
“We urge Canada to use every diplomatic and political tool at our disposal to oppose this reckless plan,” said JSpaceCanada Executive Director Maytal Kowalski. “This is not ‘anti-Israel,’ but rather a necessary act to save Israel, as these dangerous plans push Israelis and Palestinians further from peace and a negotiated two-state solution.”
JSpaceCanada also calls on our allies and colleagues within the Jewish community, especially those who claim to support a two-state solution yet oppose or have condemned Canada’s recognition of Palestinian statehood, to recognize the gravity of this moment, speak out against this plan, and stand up for the preservation of a two-state solution they profess to seek.