UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada slam Israeli settlement plan
File photo: REUTERS
Major Western powers have criticized Israel’s recent move to launch bidding for around 1,200 settlement residences in a highly strategic zone of the occupied West Bank.
The governments of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Canada released a collaborative declaration labeling the initiative “unacceptable” and demanding that Israeli official “retract the plans immediately”.
Although international law deems all such settlements unauthorized, foreign diplomatic pushback had previously compelled Israel to delay construction in the E1 corridor east of Jerusalem for multiple decades.
Palestinians and several of Israel’s international allies argue that this building project severely damages any prospects of achieving a two-state solution because it splits the West Bank in half and completely cuts off East Jerusalem.
In their Thursday publication, the European nations and Canada expressed deep anxiety over the timing: “At a time of grave instability in the West Bank with unprecedented levels of violence by settlers against civilians, and serious restrictions on the Palestinian economy, this decision is even more concerning.”
They warned that these actions would yield negative diplomatic consequences for the country, saying, “Not only will they [the plans] take us further from peace, but they further undermine Israel’s international standing.”
United Nations Secretary-General and Belgium’s Foreign Minister issued independent assessments warning that the E1 initiative presents an “existential threat” to the creation of a unified, bordering Palestinian state.
When United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband voiced his disapproval earlier on Thursday, Israel’s Foreign Minister instantly rejected his remarks. Local Bedouin Palestinians residing in the affected region and Israeli peace organizations filed legal challenges in court against the project.
However, the Israeli Housing Ministry proceeded on Wednesday by publishing bids for 1,234 units out of the 3,401 total homes that the Israeli administration originally authorized in August 2025.
The designated construction zone spans roughly 12 square kilometers (4.6 square miles), stretching across the landscape between East Jerusalem and the existing Maale Adumim settlement.
During the initial presentation of these blueprints, ultranationalist settler and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared that the concept of an independent Palestinian nation is “being erased”.
The ministry has set the bidding deadline for 19 October, which falls only over a week prior to Israel’s national election on 27 October. This tight timeline ensures that any incoming administration will face severe hurdles if they attempt to cancel the finalized contracts.
Since capturing the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War, Israel has constructed roughly 160 settlements that currently house 700,000 Jewish residents. Palestinians envision these territories, alongside Gaza, as the foundation of their future independent country.
Around 3.3 million Palestinians reside directly adjacent to these expanding communities. Despite encountering intense global condemnation for decades, consecutive Israeli administrations have consistently facilitated the expansion of these outposts.
The pace of settlement construction has accelerated dramatically since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assumed leadership in late 2022 at the helm of a right-wing, pro-settler alliance.
The outbreak of the Gaza conflict, which followed the 7 October 2023 assault by Hamas on Israel, further fueled this upward trend. Activists fighting the E1 development caution that the project will completely sever the northern West Bank from its southern half.
As a result, this physical barrier will stop any future growth of a unified Palestinian metropolitan region that could seamlessly link the cities of Ramallah, East Jerusalem, and Bethlehem.
Source: BBC (adapted)
