European Leaders Call on Israel to Stop West Bank Settlement Expansion
France, Italy, Britain, and Germany added their voices to growing international criticism on Thursday after Israeli authorities opened bidding for more than 1,200 homes as part of a major settlement project in the occupied West Bank.
The E1 plan, approved by Israel last year, would further separate east Jerusalem — occupied and annexed by Israel and home mainly to Palestinians — from the rest of the West Bank. In a joint statement, the four European nations called the decision especially troubling given “grave instability in the West Bank with unprecedented levels of violence by settlers against civilians, and serious restrictions on the Palestinian economy.” They urged Israel to immediately withdraw the plans and halt settlement expansion, warning businesses that participating in the construction tenders could expose them to serious breaches of international law. The UN secretary-general has previously warned that the E1 plan poses an existential threat to the viability of a contiguous Palestinian state.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot echoed the criticism Thursday, calling the tenders unacceptable and warning that the project would seriously undermine prospects for a two-state solution. His remarks followed a stronger statement from Britain’s foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, who on Wednesday demanded an end to the project and summoned Israel’s charge d’affaires in London.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rejected Miliband’s comments outright, calling their tone patronizing. “The Jewish people have the right to live throughout the Land of Israel, just as the British have the right to live in London and throughout the United Kingdom,” he wrote on X, accusing the UK of ignoring Palestinian extremism while blaming Israel alone. He added that the UK’s stance had damaged bilateral relations and vowed that Israel would defend its rights and interests. Britain has said it plans to announce a broader set of measures in the coming weeks, including sanctions targeting individuals involved in the settlement expansion.
Israel first approved the E1 plan in August of last year, covering roughly 12 square kilometers of land east of Jerusalem between the city and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim. The full project envisions around 3,400 homes on the sensitive tract. According to Israeli NGO Peace Now, the latest tender for more than 1,200 units was published on August 18, with bids due by October 19 — just a week before Israeli elections scheduled for October 27. The group said the tender represents about a third of the total E1 development and accused the government of rushing to lock in construction commitments ahead of the vote.
Movement for West Bank Palestinians remains tightly restricted, with residents required to obtain permits to cross checkpoints into east Jerusalem or Israel. Last year, Britain and France joined 21 other countries in condemning Israel’s approval of the E1 project as a violation of international law. Excluding east Jerusalem, roughly three million Palestinians live in the West Bank alongside about 500,000 Israeli settlers, and violence against Palestinians by settlers has risen sharply since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
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