Executives from seven countries, four of them belonging to the European Union, demanded this Thursday that Israel stop "immediately" the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, including its project in the E1 area, located east of Jerusalem, an initiative they have described as "unacceptable".
As emphasized in a joint statement by the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, and Norway, these settlements "will not only take us further away from peace, but will further undermine Israel's international reputation," considering that the plan threatens the "two-state solution by opening a gap in the West Bank and harming the territorial contiguity of the Palestinian territories".
The seven governments maintain that the decision of the government led by Benjamin Netanyahu to "publish tenders for the construction of the E1 settlement project is unacceptable" and remind that Israeli settlements in the West Bank "are illegal," as "clearly" established by International Law.
In the text, they also warn that "companies should not consider submitting bids for construction tenders. They must be aware of the legal and reputational consequences, including the risk of being involved in serious violations of International Law".
The signatories also denounce the "serious instability" already experienced in the West Bank, partly linked to the "unprecedented" violence of Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians and to the "severe restrictions on the Palestinian economy," which makes the expansion of settlements — a policy rejected "for a long time" by the international community — "even more concerning".
This project has generated criticism and protests at each of its advances and, in fact, in May of this 2026, a dozen countries — including Spain, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany — urged their companies not to participate in the bidding process for the E1 settlements in the West Bank.