Published

West Bank21 August, 20263 min read

Spain Condemns Israel’s E1 Tender for 1,200 Settlement Homes in Occupied West Bank

Spain condemns Israel for tendering over 1,200 E1 settlement homes in the West Bank. Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and Norway join in condemning and demanding withdrawal.

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E1 Tender Sparks Outrage

Israel’s opening of tenders for construction under the E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank has drawn condemnation from multiple governments, with Spain saying it “strongly condemns the Israeli Government's decision to issue a call for tenders to build more than 1,200 settlement homes in the E1 area.” Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on US social media platform X that “Israel must reverse its decision and advance in the implementation of the two-State solution,” as the E1 plan is described as breaking the territorial continuity of Palestine and separating East Jerusalem from the West Bank.

The E1 project is framed as covering roughly 12 square kilometers east of Jerusalem and seeking to link the illegal Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim with Jerusalem through “Jewish-only housing on Palestinian land,” according to A News. In response to the tender, the UK Foreign Office announced it “summoned the Israeli chargé d'affaires to protest the E1 settlement project tender,” and said it had asked the Netanyahu government to immediately cancel the E1 settlement project.

Image from A News
Image: A News
Reporting for this sectionA NewsABNA English

Condemnations and Summonses

A joint statement on Thursday from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada and Norway called Israel’s opening of construction tenders for more than 1,200 housing units under the E1 settlement project “unacceptable” and in violation of “the territorial contiguity of the Palestinian Territories.” The 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,” while Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the joint statement and called for an immediate reversal.

In parallel, the UK Foreign Office said it would not stand by while Israel destroys the two-state solution, adding that “We will not stand idly by while Israel destroys the two-state solution.” Germany’s foreign ministry spokesperson Martin Gies said in a press statement, “We condemn the issuance of the tender for the construction of over 1,000 housing units in the E1 settlement project,” as European governments also urged companies not to bid.

Image from ABNA English
Image: ABNA English
Reporting for this sectionAl JazeeraABNA English

E1 Stakes for Two-State

The E1 plan is described as effectively dividing the West Bank into two parts by creating a continuous Israeli settlement “corridor” between occupied East Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim, with Al Jazeera quoting Palestinian human rights advocate Ubai al-Aboudi saying the project would put a “final nail in the coffin of the two-state solution.” Al Jazeera also reports that the UN has condemned the plan, with the UN secretary-general’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric saying Antonio Guterres was “deeply alarmed by the reports of new illegal Israeli settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank,” including the new tenders.

The stakes are tied to timing and political pressure, with Al Jazeera noting that bids for the latest E1 tender close on October 19, eight days before Israeli elections scheduled for October 27. The Arab League’s Secretary-General Nabil Ebeid Fahmy warned that the E1 plan targets partitioning the West Bank and isolating East Jerusalem from its Palestinian environment, calling on the Security Council and the international community to take concrete steps to stop settlement and hold those responsible to account.

Reporting for this sectionAl JazeeraAl-Khaleej