United Kingdom (UK), France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, and Canada have released a joint statement calling the Israeli government’s decision to publish construction tenders for an illegal E1 settlement project “unacceptable.”
The Israeli housing ministry issued a tender for 1,234 housing units in the E1 area, located between East Jerusalem and the illegal settlement of Maale Adumim. The site covers approximately 12 square kilometers. The tender forms part of a larger plan involving 3,401 housing units approved by the Israeli government.
The joint statement issued by the seven nations states, “The Israeli Government’s decision to publish construction tenders for the E1 settlement project is unacceptable. The international community has long opposed this settlement expansion, and has voiced their grave concerns privately and publicly.”
European allies and Canada highlighted the impact on potential peace negotiations, noting, “The E1 settlement will undermine the prospect of the two-state solution by driving a wedge through the West Bank and harming the territorial contiguity of the Palestinian Territories.”
Addressing the legal status of the construction, the joint statement reads, “International law is clear that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal. This is the position of the international community reaffirmed by the United Nations Security Council.”
The governments called for immediate action from Israeli authorities, “We urge the Government of Israel to retract these plans immediately and end its expansion of settlements in the West Bank. Not only will they take us further from peace, but they further undermine Israel’s international standing.”
The statement also issued a warning to corporate entities, “Businesses should not consider bidding for construction tenders. They should be aware of legal and reputational consequences including the risk of involving themselves in serious breaches of international law.”
Separately, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister (FM) of Belgium stated that the E1 plan poses an existential threat to a contiguous Palestinian state.
The deadline for tender bids is set for 19 October, days before the Israeli general election scheduled for 27 October.
Since the 1967, Israel has built approximately 160 settlements housing 700,000 Israeli Jews across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where an estimated 3.3 million Palestinians reside. Expansion of these settlements increased after Israel’s Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu formed a coalition government in late 2022.
