1,200 homes. That is the number Israel put out to tender this week in E1, a strip of land east of Jerusalem that has lain dormant for decades under international pressure.
Thursday night the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Canada issued a joint statement calling the plan “unacceptable” and warning it would “undermine the prospect of a two-state solution”. The statement said the construction would split the West Bank in two and isolate East Jerusalem.
“The international community has long opposed this settlement expansion and has voiced their grave concerns privately and publicly,” the text read. It cited United Nations Security Council resolutions affirming that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband went further, labeling the tender an “unacceptable and destructive act” and demanding Israel halt the plans immediately.
Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar rejected the criticism outright. He accused the UK of a “systematic policy of blaming only Israel while ignoring Palestinian extremism” and said that approach had fueled antisemitic attacks on British Jews. “The UK government’s decision to damage the relationship between our countries is deeply unfortunate,” Sa’ar said. “But Israel will not be a passive victim of this policy. Israel will defend its rights, its interests and its people.”
The UK prime minister’s office posted the joint statement on X Friday morning, tagging all seven leaders.
Andy Burnham added his voice to the chorus Friday, joining allies in slamming the settlement plan.
Recognition and retaliation
Keir Starmer’s government formally recognised the Palestinian state last September. Now the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Emily Thornberry, says she has spoken with the prime minister and Miliband about banning trade with Israel. “The government must take action,” she told Sky News.
With violence by settlers against Palestinian civilians reaching unprecedented levels and serious restrictions choking the Palestinian economy, the joint statement called the decision even more concerning. “Not only will they take us further from peace, but they further undermine Israel’s international standing,” the leaders warned.
Israel has built approximately 160 settlements since occupying the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967. They house roughly 700,000 Jewish residents.
The leaders also discouraged businesses from bidding on the settlement contracts, citing legal and reputational risks.
Miliband promised a “comprehensive set of measures” in coming weeks to protect the viability of a Palestinian state.
