Western nations condemn Israeli settlement plan in West Bank

LONDON

The leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands and Norway have urged Israel to withdraw a tender for 1,234 homes in the E1 settlement project, calling the decision “unacceptable.”

“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,” they said in a joint statement.

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

They called on Israel to retract the plans immediately and end settlement expansion, warning that the project would move the sides further from peace and weaken Israel’s international standing.

The statement also urged companies not to bid for the construction work. Businesses could face legal and reputational consequences, including the risk of involvement in serious breaches of international law, it said.

Israel’s Housing Ministry opened bidding on Aug. 18 for 1,234 units in E1, east of East Jerusalem. The tender covers about one-third of the 3,401 homes approved for the project.

E1 lies between East Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim.

The project had been held up for decades amid international opposition over its potential effect on the territorial continuity of a future Palestinian state.