Nine Western nations condemn E1 settlement plan and settler violence in joint statement
The UK, France, Germany, Canada, Australia and others issue unified warning over international law breaches and treatment of detainees.
Nine Western nations have issued a joint statement urging Israel to halt settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and end settler violence, marking a significant escalation in diplomatic pressure over the region’s stability. The leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway and the Netherlands emphasised that current policies are undermining prospects for a two-state solution.
The statement, released on Friday, explicitly condemned the E1 construction plan as a breach of international law. The plan, approved by Israel in February to claim large areas of Palestinian land as “state property”, involves building thousands of new housing units over 12 square kilometres east of occupied East Jerusalem. The nations warned that this development would link the Ma’ale Adumim settlement with Jerusalem, effectively bisecting the West Bank and isolating Palestinian communities.
Diplomatic tensions have intensified following the abduction of activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla. Several countries summoned the Israeli ambassador after a video emerged showing National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir taunting detained activists. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand and UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper issued strong condemnations of the incident, describing the treatment of detainees as unacceptable and deeply troubling.
The joint statement also addressed the broader context of settler impunity, citing human rights groups that report Israeli authorities have allowed settlers to operate without consequence. With more than 700,000 Israelis currently living in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, the nations called for accountability for violence and investigations into allegations against Israeli forces.
Businesses were warned against participating in settlement tenders, with the statement highlighting the legal and reputational risks of involvement in such construction. The nations further called on Israel to lift financial restrictions on the Palestinian Authority, respect Hashemite custodianship over Jerusalem’s Holy Sites, and cease the expansion of administrative powers that threaten regional stability.
