UK, France, Germany, Italy and Canada Condemn Israel

European nations condemn Israel’s settlement plans in the West Bank, urging immediate retraction to avoid undermining peace efforts.

Israel’s intention to open tenders for approximately 1,200 settlement homes in a crucial area of the occupied West Bank has drawn sharp criticism from major Western powers.

In a joint statement, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Canada denounced the decision as “unacceptable” and called on Israel to withdraw these plans immediately.

International law deems all settlements illegal, and after significant outside pressure, Israel had refrained from building in E1, the area to the east of Jerusalem, for years. The latest development threatens to slice the West Bank in two, isolating East Jerusalem and complicating hopes for a two-state solution.

The European allies and Canada highlighted the pressing issues in the region, noting the unprecedented violence from settlers against civilians in the West Bank, alongside severe limitations facing the Palestinian economy. “This plan takes us further from peace and further undermines Israel’s international standing,” they emphasized in their statement.

The United Nations Secretary-General also chimed in, expressing deep concern about the E1 plan, labeling it an “existential threat” to a future Palestinian state. Belgium’s foreign minister echoed similar sentiments regarding the potential impact of the settlement expansion.

UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband’s denunciation of the settlement plans was met with an outright rejection by Israel’s foreign minister. This comes despite ongoing legal challenges from Bedouin Palestinians and Israeli peace groups against the plans.

The Israeli housing ministry recently issued a tender for 1,234 of the 3,401 housing units approved last August, covering about 12 square kilometers (4.6 square miles) situated between East Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement.

Upon the announcement of the plan earlier, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, known for his ultranationalist views, stated that the notion of a Palestinian state was being “erased.” The deadline for bidding on these contracts is set for October 19, just days ahead of Israel’s general election on October 27, making it increasingly challenging for any future government to retract the tenders already issued.

Israel has constructed around 160 settlements that now house approximately 700,000 Jews since the occupation began after the 1967 Middle East war. An estimated 3.3 million Palestinians reside in the region, and despite significant international opposition, expansion of the settlements has accelerated since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formed a right-wing, pro-settler coalition in late 2022, coinciding with the onset of war in Gaza, triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Opponents of the E1 project warn that it could obstruct the contouring of a Palestinian state by severing connections between the northern and southern parts of the West Bank and stifling any potential development central to establishing a continuous Palestinian urban area that links Ramallah, East Jerusalem, and Bethlehem.

Overall, the situation remains tense, with rising international pressure on Israel regarding its settlement policy and the looming conflict’s broader implications.