US refuses to condemn Israeli construction east of Jerusalem, but doubles down on opposition to Judea & Samaria annexation

Trump administration declines to condemn Israel’s plans to build neighborhood linking Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim, but reiterates its opposition to Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.

By World Israel News Staff

The Trump administration reiterated Friday that it opposes Israeli annexation of Judea and Samaria but declined to criticize Israel’s decision to advance construction in the E1 area, even as European and Arab governments sharply condemned the move.

Asked specifically about Israel’s newly published construction tenders for E1, the State Department issued a statement stressing President Donald Trump’s opposition to annexation without mentioning the project itself.

“As the president has clearly stated, the US does not support Israel annexing the West Bank. A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration’s goal to achieve peace in the region,” a State Department spokesperson said.

The carefully worded response contrasted with increasingly forceful statements from several of Washington’s European and Middle Eastern partners, which have demanded that Israel cancel the project.

The Israeli government this week issued tenders for seven residential compounds containing 1,234 housing units in E1, an area between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim. The units form part of a larger plan for roughly 3,400 homes approved by Israel in August 2025.

Both supporters and opponents of the project say it will make it difficult to establish a Palestinian state stretching across Judea and Samaria.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, one of E1’s strongest advocates, made precisely that argument when Israel approved the broader plan last year, saying the project “practically erases the two-state delusion.”

Successive Israeli governments considered developing E1 for decades, but construction was repeatedly delayed amid opposition from previous US administrations and European governments.

Trump himself drew a firm line against formal annexation in September 2025 after Israeli politicians raised the possibility of applying Israeli sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria.

“I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. It’s not going to happen,” Trump said at the time.

“There’s been enough. It’s time to stop now,” he added, saying he had discussed the issue with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The State Department’s latest response indicates that position remains in force, but Washington’s refusal to condemn E1 directly distinguishes the Trump administration from several major Western allies.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday called Israel’s decision unacceptable.

“The Israeli Government’s decision to publish construction tenders for the E1 settlement project is unacceptable,” von der Leyen said. “We have long opposed this step.”

Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada and Norway issued a joint statement Thursday similarly demanding that Israel reverse course.

“The E1 settlement will undermine the prospect of the two-state solution by driving a wedge through the West Bank and harming the territorial contiguity of the Palestinian Territories,” the governments said.

They also warned companies against bidding on the Israeli construction contracts, saying they could face “legal and reputational consequences.”

Britain has gone further, with Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband saying London is preparing measures targeting individuals involved in settlement expansion.

“This Israeli Government’s publication of a tender for the E1 settlement project is an unacceptable and destructive act,” Miliband said.

“The Israeli Government must halt E1 plans immediately, retract the tender and stop all settlement expansion,” he added.

Eight Arab and Muslim states — the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia — issued their own joint declaration Friday, characterizing E1 as a “dangerous escalation.”

The foreign ministers said the project would advance what they described as settlement expansion and annexation while threatening “the viability and realization of an independent, geographically contiguous and viable Palestinian state.”

They also sought to place their opposition within Trump’s own diplomatic framework, arguing that E1 runs counter to the president’s regional peace initiative and his commitment to preventing annexation.

“The ministers call for immediate action to halt the ‘E1’ settlement plan, rescind all measures taken in connection with it, and cease all settlement activities and other measures aimed at altering the geographic and demographic character of the occupied Palestinian territory,” their statement said.

The group also called for international measures against individuals and entities involved in settlement expansion.

E1Judea and SamariaTrump administration