San Francisco Frontiers - Key European leaders demand Israel halt West Bank settlement project

The E1 plan was green-lit by Israel last year and would further separate east Jerusalem, occupied and annexed by Israel and predominantly inhabited by Palestinians, from the West Bank.

"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," the joint statement from Paris, Rome, Berlin and London said.

"We urge the Government of Israel to retract these plans immediately and end its expansion of settlements in the West Bank," it added, warning businesses against bidding for the construction tenders at risk of "involving themselves in serious breaches of international law".

The UN secretary general has said the E1 plan posed an "existential threat" to a contiguous Palestinian state.

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot called the tenders "unacceptable" on Thursday, saying the project "would seriously undermine the viability of the two-State solution".

His condemnation echoed a statement by Britain's top diplomat Ed Miliband on Wednesday demanding an end to the project and settlement expansion in the West Bank, with London summoning Israel's charge d'affaires.

- 'Israel will defend its rights' -

Miliband said he delivered the message directly to his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar.

Saar on Thursday said he rejected "outright" Miliband's statement and "the patronising tone of his words".

"The Jewish people have the right to live throughout the Land of Israel, just as the British have the right to live in London and throughout the United Kingdom," he wrote on X.

Saar went on to accuse the UK of "blaming only Israel while ignoring Palestinian extremism" which he said was fuelling antisemitic attacks against the British Jewish community.

"The UK Government's decision to damage the relationship between our countries is deeply unfortunate," he added, vowing that "Israel will defend its rights, its interests and its people".

The British government on Wednesday also pledged to unveil "a comprehensive set of measures" in the coming weeks, including sanctions targeting people involved in the "illegal settlement expansion".

Israel approved the plans for the roughly 12-square-kilometre (five-square-mile) parcel of land known as E1 just east of Jerusalem, in August last year.

The plan seeks to build around 3,400 homes on the ultra-sensitive tract of land, which lies between Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim.

The latest tender covers more than 1,200 housing units, according to Israeli NGO Peace Now.

Peace Now said Israel's housing ministry published the tender on August 18 and immediately opened it for bids.

Submissions are due by October 19, one week before Israeli elections scheduled for October 27.

The group said the homes accounted for about one-third of the planned E1 development and accused the government of trying to advance construction commitments before the vote.

Israel heavily restricts the movement of West Bank Palestinians, who must obtain permits from authorities to travel through checkpoints to cross into east Jerusalem or Israel.

Last year, Britain and France were among 21 countries who condemned Israeli approval of the E1 project, calling it a violation of international law and urging Israel to reverse the decision.

Excluding east Jerusalem, the West Bank is home to around three million Palestinians. About 500,000 Israeli settlers also live there.

Violence against Palestinians by Israeli settlers has increased since the unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas from the Gaza Strip.

burs-sw/gv

H.Davis--SFF