European Leaders Condemn Israel’s E1 Settlement Expansion

The UK, France, Germany, Italy and Canada have jointly condemned Israel’s decision to advance plans for a major settlement project in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank. Israel’s housing ministry issued a tender for 1,234 homes out of 3,401 units approved by the government last year. The project covers roughly 12 sq km between East Jerusalem and the settlement of Maale Adumim. The five countries described the plans as “unacceptable” and urged Israel to withdraw them immediately. They warned that the construction would further damage prospects for peace and undermine Israel’s international standing, particularly amid escalating settler violence and restrictions affecting the Palestinian economy. The UN secretary general and Belgium’s foreign minister separately said the project posed an existential threat to the possibility of creating a contiguous Palestinian state. Opponents argue that construction in E1 would divide the West Bank into northern and southern sections, isolate East Jerusalem, and obstruct the development of a connected Palestinian urban area linking Ramallah, East Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Palestinians and Israeli peace groups have challenged the plans in court, but the tender was issued despite that legal action. The tender deadline is 19 October, shortly before Israel’s general election on 27 October. Critics say this timing could make it difficult for a future government to reverse the process. Israel’s ultranationalist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has previously said the project would help erase the idea of a Palestinian state. Israel has established about 160 settlements housing approximately 700,000 Jewish residents in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories captured in the 1967 Middle East war and claimed by Palestinians for a future state alongside Gaza. Settlement expansion has accelerated since Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in late 2022 with a right-wing, pro-settler coalition, and during the Gaza war that followed Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack. The international community broadly considers the settlements illegal under international law, a position rejected by Israel.

European leaders from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Norway and Canada have condemned Israel’s decision to open tenders for more than 1,200 housing units in the controversial E1 area of the occupied West Bank. In a joint statement, they urged Israel to immediately withdraw the plans and halt settlement expansion, citing escalating settler violence, restrictions on the Palestinian economy and the threat to prospects for a negotiated peace. The E1 development covers roughly 12 square kilometres east of Jerusalem, between the city and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim. Israel approved the broader plan in August 2025, proposing approximately 3,400 homes. Critics argue that construction would separate East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank and undermine the territorial continuity needed for a viable Palestinian state. The UN secretary-general described the project as an “existential threat” to a contiguous Palestinian state, while Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot called the tenders unacceptable and said they would seriously damage the two-state solution. The United Kingdom summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires, and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said he had directly demanded an end to the project from Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. Sa’ar rejected Miliband’s criticism, objecting to what he described as its “patronising tone.” He defended the right of Jewish people to live throughout Israel and accused the UK of ignoring Palestinian extremism and antisemitic attacks against British Jews. Israeli NGO Peace Now said the tender, published on 18 August, represents about one-third of the planned E1 development. Bids are due on 19 October, shortly before Israel’s 27 October elections, leading the group to accuse the government of trying to lock in construction commitments before the vote. The article also notes restrictions on Palestinian movement, the presence of about three million Palestinians and 500,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, and increased settler violence since the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attack on Israel.

France, Italy, Britain and Germany have jointly condemned Israel’s decision to advance a major settlement project in the occupied West Bank’s E1 area. Israeli authorities opened bidding for more than 1,200 housing units on Aug 18, as part of a broader plan approved in 2025 to build approximately 3,400 homes on a 12 sq km tract between Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim. The European governments urged Israel to withdraw the plans immediately and end settlement expansion, warning companies that participating in the tenders could involve serious breaches of international law. They said the project was particularly troubling amid escalating settler violence against Palestinians and restrictions affecting the Palestinian economy. The United Nations secretary-general has described the E1 development as an existential threat to the territorial contiguity of a future Palestinian state. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot and Britain’s Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband separately condemned the project. Britain summoned Israel’s charge d’affaires and said it would introduce comprehensive measures, including sanctions against individuals involved in what it called illegal settlement expansion. Israel rejected the criticism. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Britain of using a patronising tone, blaming Israel while ignoring Palestinian extremism and its alleged role in anti-Semitic attacks against British Jews. He said Israel would defend its rights, interests and people. Israeli NGO Peace Now said the latest tender represents roughly one-third of the planned E1 development. Because bids are due one week before Israel’s Oct 27 elections, the group accused the government of trying to lock in construction commitments before the vote. The project would further separate East Jerusalem from the West Bank, undermining the viability of a two-state solution. The West Bank is home to about three million Palestinians and approximately 500,000 Israeli settlers, while movement between the territory, East Jerusalem and Israel is heavily restricted for Palestinians. Settler violence has increased since Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023 attack on Israel.