Europe confronts the E1 settlement project: renewed warning over the partition of the West Bank and the isolation of Jerusalem
Europe has issued a new warning over Israel’s decision to launch tenders for the implementation of the “E1” settlement project, which includes plans to build approximately 3,400 housing units in the occupied West Bank.
The European Union’s diplomatic service condemned the Israeli move in a statement, warning that the planned construction could “divide the West Bank into two and isolate East Jerusalem,” while undermining “the possibility of establishing a two-state solution.”
In August 2025, Israel gave the green light to the “E1” settlement project, which involves the construction of approximately 3,400 housing units in the West Bank, occupied since 1967, specifically across an area of 12 square kilometres east of Jerusalem, between the Ma’ale Adumim settlement and East Jerusalem.
The European statement added: “These developments come at a time when the West Bank is experiencing growing instability, alongside record levels of settler violence. In this context, we note the recent charges brought by the Israeli prosecution against several perpetrators of these acts of violence.”
The European Union called on Israel to “withdraw the tender, halt its plans concerning the E1 area, as well as all other settlement expansion projects, and ensure accountability for those responsible for settler violence.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also joined several European countries on Friday in condemning Israel’s intention to issue construction tenders for a settlement project known as “E1” in the occupied West Bank.
In a post on the X platform, she said: “The Israeli government’s decision to issue construction tenders for the E1 settlement project is unacceptable. We have opposed this move for a long time.”
The foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also condemned Israel’s settlement policies in the Palestinian territories, reaffirming their categorical rejection of the settlement project known as “E1” in the occupied West Bank.
In a joint statement, the ministers said: “We call for immediate action to halt the E1 settlement plan, revoke all measures taken in connection with it, and stop all settlement activities and other measures aimed at altering the geographic and demographic character of the occupied Palestinian territory.”
The statement added that the plan represents “a dangerous escalation” that could reinforce settlement expansion and the annexation of Palestinian territory.
In an opinion article published Saturday in Le Monde, dozens of former French and British ambassadors and diplomats called on France and the United Kingdom, both permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, to act jointly to ensure respect for international law in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
The diplomats wrote that France and the United Kingdom, which recognised the State of Palestine in 2025, should translate that recognition into concrete measures. They accused Israel of undermining the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state and condemned the humanitarian situation in Gaza, as well as violence and destruction in the West Bank.
They argued that “Palestine is being erased before our eyes,” adding: “In East Jerusalem and other parts of the West Bank, the destruction of homes and widespread settler violence, with the complicity of the Israeli army and police, amount to ethnic cleansing.”
