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E1 Plan Faces Rejection
Israel’s Housing Ministry issued a notice inviting bids for more than 1,200 housing units in E1 near Jerusalem, a plan described as splitting the occupied West Bank into north and south and “bury[ing]” the possibility of a two-state solution.
“called the E1 settlement project “unacceptable” and in violation of “the territorial contiguity of the Palestinian Territories””
A joint statement on Thursday from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada and Norway called the E1 construction tenders for more than 1,200 housing units “unacceptable” and said they violate “the territorial contiguity of the Palestinian Territories”.
The same statement warned of “legal and reputational consequences” for participants and urged Israel “to retract these plans immediately and end its expansion of settlements in the West Bank”.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the joint statement and called for an immediate reversal of Israel’s E1 settlement plan and an end to settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.
The project is slated to include at least 3,400 units and would connect occupied East Jerusalem to the Maale Adumim settlement area on roughly 12 square kilometres (4.6sq miles) of Palestinian land.
Officials Trade Threats
In response to international pressure, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband condemned the decision to advance the plans as an “unacceptable and destructive act,” while Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar fired back on X that “It is absurd for Britain to lecture the Jewish people about where they may live in their historic tiny homeland.”
The UN secretary general’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Antonio Guterres was “deeply alarmed by the reports of new illegal Israeli settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank,” including the new tenders.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot denounced the E1 tender calls as “unacceptable,” arguing the project risks “cutting the West Bank in two,” separating northern Palestinian communities from southern ones.
Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour told CNN that Israel’s decision to move forward with the construction of E1 is “extremely dangerous, irresponsible, and threatening,” adding, “This has to be stopped.”
What’s at Stake Next
France and European allies pressed Israel to abandon the E1 plan and immediately withdraw tenders for more than 1,200 new homes, warning that “Companies must not consider bidding for these construction projects,” because they “must be aware of the legal and reputational consequences”.
““Companies must not consider bidding for these construction projects,””
The BBC reported that despite an Israeli court challenge by Bedouin Palestinians living in the area and Israeli peace groups, the Israeli housing ministry issued a tender for 1,234 of the 3,401 housing units approved by the Israeli government last August.
The E1 project is described as creating a division across the West Bank and undermining the territorial contiguity of the Palestinian Territories, with critics warning it would cut off the north of the West Bank from the south and prevent the development of a contiguous Palestinian urban area connecting Ramallah, East Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
The joint statement welcomed by Abbas also urged the UN Security Council, states and other international actors to take “urgent and effective measures” to halt illegal settlement expansion, protect Palestinians and safeguard their rights, including the right to self-determination and an independent state.
As the dispute escalates, the RFI account said the E1 development could further undermine hopes for a negotiated two-state solution by weakening the territorial continuity of a future Palestinian state.