Doha: In a joint statement issued Thursday, 21 countries have slammed Israel's approval of a settlement plan in the occupied West Bank as unacceptable and a violation of international law.

According to Qatar News Agency, the statement was signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, along with High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas, who strongly condemned Israel's decision.

The decision by Israel's Higher Planning Committee to approve plans for settlement construction in Area E1, east of Jerusalem, is deemed unacceptable and constitutes a violation of international law. The ministers strongly condemned the decision and called for its immediate reversal.

The statement urged Israel to halt any further steps toward building in Area E1, emphasizing that unilateral actions by the Israeli government undermine the international desire to achieve security and prosperity in the Middle East.

The ministers also called on Israel to cease settlement construction, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2334.

For its part, the Palestinian Presidency welcomed the joint statement, affirming that it represents an important and necessary step that must be followed by pressure on the occupying Israeli state to withdraw from these settlement plans, which would separate the southern West Bank from its central region.