European powers demand Israel halt E1 settlement tender over legal concerns
France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy issued a joint statement urging Israel to retract plans for a major housing project in the occupied West Bank, warning that the development would further fragment Palestinian territory.
France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy have issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s decision to open bidding for the "E1" settlement project in the occupied West Bank. The four nations urged the Israeli government to retract the plans immediately, warning that the development would further separate East Jerusalem from the West Bank and constitute a breach of international law.
The joint statement, released on Thursday, highlighted the current climate of "grave instability" in the region, citing unprecedented levels of violence by settlers against civilians and serious restrictions on the Palestinian economy. The European powers specifically warned businesses against bidding for the construction tenders, noting they risk "involving themselves in serious breaches of international law" if they proceed.
The E1 development is a roughly 12-square-kilometre parcel of land located just east of Jerusalem, between the city and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim. Israel approved the plans for the project in August 2025, with the full proposal seeking to build around 3,400 homes. The United Nations Secretary-General previously described the project as an "existential threat" to a contiguous Palestinian state.
According to the Israeli NGO Peace Now, the latest tender covers more than 1,200 housing units, representing about one-third of the total planned development. Peace Now reported that Israel’s housing ministry published the tender on 18 August and immediately opened it for bids. The organisation accused the government of attempting to advance construction commitments before the upcoming election.
Submissions for the tender are due by 19 October, one week before Israeli elections scheduled for 27 October. The West Bank has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 war, with hundreds of thousands of Israelis settled among millions of Palestinians. Israel heavily restricts the movement of West Bank Palestinians, who must obtain permits to travel through checkpoints to cross into East Jerusalem or Israel.
