Riyadh, Aug. 22 -- The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a group of Arab and Islamic countries, and a coalition of Western nations, including the European Commission, have strongly condemned Israel's continued settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, with particular concern over the proposed "E1" settlement project, warning that it could undermine Palestinian territorial contiguity and prospects for a two-state solution.

GCC Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi on Saturday condemned Israel's continued settlement plans in the occupied West Bank, including the E1 project, saying that advancing such plans represents a "blatant challenge to international legitimacy" and a systematic undermining of the legitimate rights of the Pales...