EU Commission joins call to halt Israel’s West Bank settlement plan

BRUSSELS

The European Commission has joined 14 countries in calling on Israel to withdraw construction tenders for the E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank, warning that the plan would undermine prospects for a two-state solution.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the Israeli government’s decision as “unacceptable” in a post on X on Aug. 21.

“We have long opposed this step,” von der Leyen said, arguing that the project would divide the West Bank and disrupt the territorial contiguity of Palestinian territory.

She said the Commission remained committed to “a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution.”

The statement was initially issued on Aug. 20 by Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada and Norway. Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Belgium, Austria and Spain later joined, followed by Greece and the European Commission.

The signatories urged Israel to immediately retract the plans and end settlement expansion in the West Bank.

They also warned businesses against bidding for the construction tenders, citing possible legal and reputational consequences.

The statement said Israeli settlements in the West Bank were illegal under international law, a position reaffirmed by the U.N. Security Council.

Resolution 2334 states that settlements established in Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, have no legal validity.

Israel opened bidding on Aug. 18 for the construction of 1,234 homes in E1, part of plans for a total of 3,401 units.

The E1 area lies east of East Jerusalem between the city and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim.

Opponents say construction there would separate the northern and southern West Bank and further isolate East Jerusalem from surrounding Palestinian communities.

The residential plans received final approval in August 2025.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed a development agreement covering Maale Adumim and E1 the following month.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the joint statement and called for the project to be halted immediately.

Abbas said the plan threatened the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

He urged the signatories, the European Union and the U.N. Security Council to take concrete steps against E1 and further settlement activity.