Canada And Allies Condemn Israeli Settlement Expansion In The E1 Area East Of Jerusalem

Canada and several allied nations condemned Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank in a joint statement released Friday alongside Australia, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom.

“Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian teenage boy in the eastern town of al-Lubban al-Sharqiya, north of the West Bank”

Euronews

The statement specifically condemned proposed development in the controversial E1 area east of Jerusalem, saying the project would “divide the West Bank in two” and constitute “a serious breach of international law.”

Euronews

The warning came as Israeli bulldozers demolished dozens of Palestinian-owned shops southeast of Jerusalem to clear land for a road project tied to nearby settlements, with Israeli authorities saying the demolitions were needed to construct infrastructure serving Palestinian communities.

Palestinian officials said the road is part of a broader strategy aimed at rerouting Palestinian traffic away from a new highway being developed for Israeli settlements in the area, and Palestinian health officials said a 32-year-old Palestinian man died after being shot by Israeli soldiers while attempting to cross the barrier into Israel for work.

In the same joint statement, the countries called on Israel to stop expanding settlements, investigate allegations involving Israeli forces, ensure accountability for settler violence and lift financial restrictions on the Palestinian Authority.

A separate report said nine Americans killed either by Israeli soldiers or radical Israeli settlers since 2022 have not received any form of justice, listing victims including Jacob Flickinger, a 33-year-old US-Canadian dual citizen and World Central Kitchen aid worker killed in an Israeli strike in an area of Gaza where civilians were lined up trying to get food in April 2024.

The report also cited Ray Hanania’s account of a March 5 letter organized by Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland following Nasrallah’s killing, urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and Pam Bondi to explain the circumstances and assure other Americans that there will be accountability.

Global News

It quoted the letter’s warning that “This is yet another example of the impunity afforded to extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank under the protection of the Israel Defense Forces.”

The same report quoted Rubio saying, “At the Department of State, our No. 1 priority is the safety and security of American citizens everywhere in the world,” shortly after the US launched its war on Iran.

The report said the letter has gone unanswered and that the failure to address the killings of Americans by Israelis raises questions about the real purpose of Washington’s justifications for conflict and its relationship with Israel’s government.

WAFA described the killing of 16-year-old Palestinian boy Yousef Ali Ka’abneh as part of what it called an integrated Israeli strategy aimed at creating “land without Palestinians,” saying he was shot dead by Israeli soldiers on the afternoon of May 13 while residents attempted to confront an attack by Israeli colonists under army protection.

“By Rami Samara RAMALLAH, May 23, 2026 (WAFA) – The killing of 16-year-old Palestinian boy Yousef Ali Ka’abneh was not viewed merely as another isolated death of a Palestinian at the hands of Israeli forces and colonists”

WAFA Agency

WAFA said the assault targeted the towns of Sinjil, Jiljilya, and Abwein northeast of Ramallah and ended with the theft of around 700 sheep, while the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission described Palestinian livestock as a direct target of a systematic destruction campaign led by colonists under official protection.

WAFA reported that the commission documented 102 direct attacks affecting 4,796 livestock animals between the beginning of 2026 and mid-May alone, and said Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture statistics estimate that during 2025 at least 5,236 sheep were stolen or killed by colonist groups across the occupied West Bank.

The report quoted Hassan Mleihat, head of the Al-Baydar Organization for the Defense of Bedouin Rights, saying, “These attacks target two core pillars of rural and Bedouin life: security and stability,” and added that roughly 22 Bedouin communities have already been displaced after residents moved elsewhere seeking safety.

WAFA also quoted Abdullah Hammad of the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center saying attempting to recover stolen livestock through Israeli legal channels is “like entering the gates of hell,” as Palestinians must often travel alone to police stations located inside or near settlements.