Key European leaders demand Israel halt West Bank settlement project

France, Italy, Britain and Germany piled on international condemnation Thursday of Israel's E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank, after authorities opened bidding for more than 1,200 homes on the sensitive tract of land.

What is the E1 plan and why does it matter?

The E1 plan would build homes east of Jerusalem, further separating the city from the West Bank. Israel green-lit the project last year, and the UN secretary general has said it poses an "existential threat" to a contiguous Palestinian state.

What did the joint European statement say?

"At a time of grave instability in the West Bank with unprecedented levels of violence by settlers against civilians, and serious restrictions on the Palestinian economy, this decision is even more concerning," the joint statement from Paris, Rome, Berlin and London said.

The statement urged Israel to retract the plans immediately and end its expansion of settlements in the West Bank. It also warned businesses against bidding for the construction tenders, saying they risked "involving themselves in serious breaches of international law".

How have other officials responded to the tenders?

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot called the tenders "unacceptable" on Thursday, saying the project would seriously undermine the viability of the two-state solution. His condemnation echoed a statement by Britain's top diplomat Ed Miliband on Wednesday, who demanded an end to the project and to settlement expansion in the West Bank.

London summoned Israel's charge d'affaires over the issue, and Miliband said he delivered the message directly to his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar.

How has Israel responded to the criticism?

Saar on Thursday rejected Miliband's statement "outright," calling it 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.

Saar accused the UK of blaming only Israel while ignoring Palestinian extremism, which he said was fueling antisemitic attacks against the British Jewish community. He called the UK government's decision to damage relations between the two countries "deeply unfortunate," and vowed that Israel would defend its rights, interests and people.

The British government said Wednesday it would unveil a comprehensive set of measures in the coming weeks, including sanctions targeting people involved in the settlement expansion it called illegal.

What is the E1 settlement project?

Israel approved plans for the roughly 12-square-kilometre parcel of land known as E1, just east of Jerusalem, in August last year. The project seeks to build around 3,400 homes on the tract, which lies between Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim.

The latest tender covers more than 1,200 housing units, according to Israeli NGO Peace Now. The group said Israel's housing ministry published the tender on August 18 and immediately opened it for bids.

Submissions are due by October 19, one week before Israeli elections scheduled for October 27. Peace Now said the homes accounted for about one-third of the planned E1 development and accused the government of trying to advance construction commitments before the vote.

What is the wider context of settlement expansion?

Israel heavily restricts the movement of West Bank Palestinians, who must obtain permits to travel through checkpoints into east Jerusalem or Israel. Last year, Britain and France were among 21 countries that condemned Israeli approval of the E1 project, calling it a violation of international law.

Excluding east Jerusalem, the West Bank is home to around three million Palestinians, alongside about 500,000 Israeli settlers. Violence against Palestinians by Israeli settlers has increased since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip.