Five Western powers demand Israel retract E1 settlement plans
The UK, France, Germany, Italy and Canada have jointly condemned Israel’s decision to open tenders for 1,234 homes in the strategically vital E1 area, warning the move undermines the prospect of a two-state solution.
The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Canada issued a joint statement on Thursday describing Israel’s decision to open tenders for new settlement housing as "unacceptable". The five nations urged the Israeli government to retract the plans immediately, citing the project’s location in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank and its potential impact on regional stability.
The E1 development covers approximately 12 square kilometres of land situated between East Jerusalem and the settlement of Maale Adumim. According to the joint statement, the decision is particularly concerning given the current "grave instability" in the West Bank, which includes unprecedented levels of violence by settlers against civilians and serious restrictions on the Palestinian economy. The signatories warned that the plans would take the region further from peace and further undermine Israel’s international standing.
Israel’s housing ministry issued the tender on Wednesday for 1,234 of the 3,401 housing units approved by the Israeli government last August. The deadline for bid submissions is set for 19 October, days before Israel’s general election on 27 October. This timing makes it difficult for any future government to overturn the tenders once issued, despite legal challenges from Bedouin Palestinians and Israeli peace groups.
The UN Secretary-General and Belgium’s foreign minister have separately described the E1 plan as an "existential threat" to a contiguous Palestinian state. The project is considered strategically vital because it would effectively cut the West Bank in two, isolating East Jerusalem and preventing the development of a connected Palestinian urban area linking Ramallah, East Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband’s condemnation of the move was met with "outright" rejection by the Israeli foreign minister. All settlements are considered illegal under international law, a status that has not prevented their expansion. Israel has built approximately 160 settlements housing 700,000 Jews in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the 1967 war, while an estimated 3.3 million Palestinians live in the area.
Settlement expansion has risen sharply since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in late 2022 at the head of a right-wing, pro-settler coalition. At the time the full proposal was unveiled, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that the idea of a Palestinian state was "being erased".
