European Leaders Condemn Israeli E1 Settlement Plan
Britain, France, Germany, Italy and others called the tenders for 1,200 homes in the West Bank "unacceptable" and urged Israel to retract them.
Jerusalem1 min read
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Leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada and Norway issued a joint statement on 20 August 2026 condemning Israel's tenders for approximately 1,200 housing units in the E1 area of the West Bank.
They described the plan as unacceptable and called for its immediate retraction. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said the project poses an existential threat to a contiguous Palestinian state. The European Union is preparing additional measures, including possible product labelling and restrictions on certain ties.
E1 lies between East Jerusalem and the Ma'ale Adumim settlement. Construction there has long been viewed by many governments as particularly damaging to the prospect of a two-state outcome because it would sever the northern and southern West Bank.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich separately welcomed the return of families to the Kadim settlement in northern Samaria, closed for 21 years. He called it a correction of past policy. The United States ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, warned settlers against taking property belonging to Palestinian Americans.
The international statements add to a pattern of criticism of settlement expansion. Whether the tenders proceed or are modified will indicate how far Israeli authorities intend to move on the ground in the coming months.
