UK, France, Germany, Italy and Canada condemn Israel's West Bank settlement project

What the report says

The UK, France, Germany, Italy and Canada have issued a joint condemnation of Israel’s latest move to advance a major settlement project in the occupied West Bank, calling it unacceptable and urging the government to withdraw the plan. The statement came after Israel’s housing ministry opened tenders for 1,234 homes in the highly sensitive E1 area, between East Jerusalem and the settlement of Maale Adumim.

According to the BBC’s reporting, the project has long been controversial because critics say it would make a future Palestinian state harder to establish by splitting the West Bank and limiting the territorial continuity needed for a viable capital in East Jerusalem. The article says the tender covers part of a previously approved plan for 3,401 housing units, and that the bidding deadline falls shortly before Israel’s next general election.

The five countries said the decision was especially alarming amid rising violence by settlers and severe strain on the Palestinian economy. The UN secretary general also warned that the E1 plan threatens the possibility of a contiguous Palestinian state, while Belgium’s foreign minister voiced similar concern. Israel has previously faced court challenges from Bedouin residents and peace groups over the project.

The BBC notes that settlement expansion has accelerated under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s current government and during the war triggered by Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel. Under international law, settlements are widely regarded as illegal, though Israel disputes that position.