Israel's Ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, fiercely pushed back against British officials after being summoned over a new construction project in the E1 area, which connects Ma’ale Adumim to Jerusalem.
"I wouldn't tell the British where to build in London," Hotovely told the Daily Mail Thursday night. "We see E1 as part of greater Jerusalem."
Hotovely was summoned for a meeting after UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned Israel's approval of plans for 3,400 homes in E1.
Lammy said in a statement on Wednesday that the E1 plans, if implemented, "would divide a Palestinian state in two, mark a flagrant breach of international law and critically undermine the two-state solution".
"The Israeli government must reverse this decision," he added.
The Civil Administration approved the advancement of the E1 project on Wednesday, nearly a week after it was officially announced during a press conference led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
While European countries have condemned the construction, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said that "this is not a violation of international law."
"We will not dictate to Israel what to do, we will not interfere in the running of the country. It would be very strange to say that others can live in this area but Israelis cannot," Huckabee said in an interview with Galei Tzahal (IDF Radio).
The US State Department similarly said that the construction of Jewish houses in E1 supports Israel's security and is in line with the administration's goals.
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