Six European countries urge Israel to halt the E1 settlement project

Brussels – Israel’s plan to expand settlements in the West Bank is edging ever closer to becoming a reality. This involves the construction of a new settlement in the area east of Jerusalem known as E1, a project that has been under discussion for decades and which, among those promoted by Israel, is considered particularly problematic due to its consequences for Palestinian territory. Six European countries have spoken out against the plan in a joint statement released yesterday (20 August), describing it as “unacceptable”.

France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom signed the declaration. The six countries contest the Israeli project and emphasise its illegality under international law: “International law is clear that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal. This is the position of the international community reaffirmed by the United Nations Security Council.” 

At a time of serious instability in the West Bank, as violence against the Palestinian population by Israeli settlers intensifies, the six European countries are calling on the Israeli government “to retract these plans immediately and end its expansion of settlements in the West Bank.” The plan, they warn, “not only will it take us further from peace, but they further undermine Israel’s international standing.”

A warning has also been issued to the construction firms involved in the project: “Businesses should not consider bidding for construction tenders,” the statement reads. The six governments warn that companies should be aware of the legal and reputational consequences, “including the risk of involving themselves in serious breaches of international law.”

The E1 project

The project was approved in June 2025. In recent days, the Israeli government has issued a call for tenders to construct around 1,200 new buildings, effectively giving the go-ahead. The E1 area is particularly strategic for Israel, but its construction would have significant consequences for Palestinian territorial continuity. The new settlement would divide the West Bank in two, making connections between the north and south of the territory more difficult and isolating East Jerusalem from the rest of the Palestinian territories.

The West Bank is already dotted with Israeli settlements – considered illegal under international law – in which more than 750,000 settlers live. The development of E1 would further expand the Israeli presence in the area and, according to its critics, would make it even more difficult to establish a territorially contiguous Palestinian state. This is the same concern expressed by the six European countries in their joint statement: “The E1 settlement will undermine the prospect of the two-state solution by driving a wedge through the West Bank and harming the territorial contiguity of the Palestinian Territories.”

The West Bank and the Oslo Accords

The 1993-1995 Oslo Peace Accords established a system of transitional administration for the West Bank, which was divided into three areas: one under Palestinian Authority control, one under Israeli control, and one under joint control. The division was intended to be temporary, pending a final agreement that would allow the Palestinians to take control of the entire territory. More than thirty years on, however, that provisional situation has remained essentially unchanged.

 Since Israel’s occupation of the West Bank in 1967, Israel has built around 160 settlements, which have progressively fragmented Palestinian territorial continuity, making both the administration of the territory and connections between different areas more difficult. The construction of E1 would further exacerbate this fragmentation.

Sanctions against settlers and the issue of the EU-Israel agreement

The recognition by the six European countries of the gravity of the situation comes at a time when attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank are intensifying. But that alone is not enough.

 In the past, the European Union has imposed sanctions on individual Israelis and organisations linked to the settler movement, but has never taken measures directly against the State of Israel. Meanwhile, for over thirty years, successive Israeli governments have been promoting the expansion of settlements in the West Bank by approving new settlements, which are considered illegal under international law.

 Following the latest war in the Gaza Strip, several Western countries have recognised the State of Palestine. This measure has remained largely a formality, except for Spain, which has backed up its recognition with more concrete political initiatives.

The European Union’s economic clout also makes it particularly significant. Under the EU-Israel Association Agreement, the European bloc remains Israel’s main trading partner and could therefore exert significant political leverage. The movements calling for the suspension of this agreement are grassroots initiatives. One petition urging the suspension of the Accords has gathered over a million signatures from European citizens. The governments of Spain, Slovenia, and Ireland have spoken out in favour of suspension, but the 27 Member States continue to struggle to find a common position on relations with Israel. 

The statement by the six European countries – joined by Canada – therefore represents a further sign of condemnation of the E1 project, but also yet another demonstration of the EU’s difficulties in translating its political stance into a common line and concrete measures.