The UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Canada have condemned Israel's plans to open tenders for the construction of approximately 1,200 settlement homes in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank, a strategically significant location east of Jerusalem.
In a joint statement, the five nations described the decision as "unacceptable" and urged Israel to "retract the plans immediately." They emphasized that all settlements are illegal under international law. For decades, Israel had refrained from building in the E1 area due to international pressure, as many allies and Palestinians argued that such a development would severely damage prospects for a two-state solution by effectively bisecting the West Bank and isolating East Jerusalem.
The statement highlighted the heightened concern given the "grave instability in the West Bank with unprecedented levels of violence by settlers against civilians, and serious restrictions on the Palestinian economy." The allies and Canada warned that the plans would not only move the region further from peace but also undermine Israel's international standing.
The UN secretary general and Belgium's foreign minister also voiced concerns, with the UN chief calling the E1 plan an "existential threat" to a contiguous Palestinian state.
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband's earlier condemnation was met with an "outright" rejection by the Israeli foreign minister.
Despite legal challenges from Bedouin Palestinians and Israeli peace groups, Israel's housing ministry issued a tender on Wednesday for 1,234 of the 3,401 housing units approved by the government last August. This area covers about 12 sq km between East Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, an ultranationalist, had previously stated that the idea of a Palestinian state was "being erased." The bid deadline is set for October 19, just days before Israel's general election on October 27, potentially making it difficult for a future government to reverse the tenders.
Israel has established around 160 settlements housing 700,000 Jews since occupying the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians seek these territories, along with Gaza, for a future state. An estimated 3.3 million Palestinians live in the West Bank.
While successive Israeli governments have permitted settlement growth, the expansion has accelerated since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's return to power in late 2022 with a right-wing, pro-settler coalition, and following the start of the Gaza war after Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Opponents of the E1 project warn it would prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state by severing the north from the south of the West Bank and hindering the development of a contiguous Palestinian urban area connecting Ramallah, East Jerusalem, and Bethlehem.
