Key European Leaders Demand Israel Halt West Bank Settlement Project
Seven countries said the 1,200-home tender would deepen West Bank settlements and undermine the two-state solution, as bids opened on 18 August.
- Leaders of seven countries, including France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, condemned a major settlement project in the West Bank, urging Israel to "retract these plans immediately and end its expansion of settlements."
- Israel's housing ministry published a tender on August 18 for more than 1,200 homes, representing roughly one-third of a planned 3,400-unit development in the sensitive tract between Jerusalem and Maale Adumim.
- Violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians has increased since the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas-led militants from the Gaza Strip; the secretary general warned the project poses an "existential threat" to a Palestinian state.
- Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot called the tenders "unacceptable" on Thursday, stating the project "would seriously undermine the viability of the two-State solution."
- Submissions for the housing project are due by October 19, one week before Israeli elections scheduled for October 27, positioning the deadline amid electoral pressures.
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France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany called on Israel on Thursday, August 20, 2026, to "stop the expansion of settlements in the West Bank" and to "immediately withdraw" the tenders launched this week concerning the construction of more than 1,200 homes for the vast E1 project.
The expansion of the settlement program in the West Bank puts a peace solution further away, the German government writes in a joint statement with France, Great Britain, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands and Norway.
Algemeen Dagblad
France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom condemn Israel's announcement to proceed with the construction of a new part of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank. Prime Minister Rob Jetten reports on X that the Cabinet joins this stance.
In a joint statement, France, Italy, Great Britain and Germany urged Israel to "stop the expansion of settlements in the West Bank".
The proposed measures would include the labelling of Israeli products as well as a reduction in certain academic, security and diplomatic cooperation.
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