Israel settlement expansion drew a joint warning Friday from Italy, France, the United Kingdom and Germany, which urged Israel to halt new projects in the occupied West Bank.
The four countries said Israeli policies were undermining stability and prospects for a two-state solution. They also called for accountability over settler violence and investigations into allegations against Israeli forces.
The West Bank, whose main administrative centre is Ramallah, sits east of Israel and has been under Israeli occupation since 1967. The Palestinian Authority welcomed the European statement as an “important step.”
The statement condemned Israel’s E1 settlement plan, which would add about 3,400 housing units across 12 square kilometres in the occupied West Bank. The countries called the project a serious breach of international law.
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They also warned businesses not to bid for E1 or other settlement tenders. The statement said companies could face legal and reputational risks if they joined settlement construction.
The joint statement followed a tense week in European-Israeli relations. It came after Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, published a video showing detained European flotilla activists kneeling with their hands tied.
