Pakistan, Aug. 21 -- Pakistan and seven other Muslim countries have strongly condemned Israel's settlement policies in the occupied Palestinian territories. The countries also rejected the E-1 settlement plan near the occupied West Bank. They described the plan as a serious threat to a future Palestinian state. The foreign ministers issued a joint statement on Friday. Egypt, Turkiye, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates joined Pakistan.

The ministers warned that the E-1 plan could break the geographic connection between the West Bank and East Jerusalem. They said this development could weaken prospects for a continuous Palestinian state. They also described the plan as a possible step toward wider annexatio...