DUBAI: Britain, France and Germany on Wednesday condemned Israeli plans to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank, with London warning that it could endanger the viability of a two-state solution.
Britain said on Wednesday it had summoned Israel’s charge d’affaires and demanded a halt to a major West Bank settlement project after Israeli authorities opened bidding for more than 1,200 homes in the area.
The E1 plan, green-lit by Israel last year, has drawn international condemnation, with the UN secretary general saying at the time that it posed an “existential threat” to a contiguous Palestinian state.
The project would further separate east Jerusalem, occupied and annexed by Israel and predominantly inhabited by Palestinians, from the West Bank.
British foreign minister Ed Miliband called the move “an unacceptable and destructive act” and said it would “endanger the viability of a two-state solution.”
“The Israeli Government must halt E1 plans immediately, retract the tender and stop all settlement expansion,” Miliband said in a statement.
Miliband said he delivered the message directly to his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar and that Israel’s charge d’affaires was summoned to the foreign ministry.
The British government also pledged to unveil “a comprehensive set of measures” in the coming weeks, including sanctions targeting people involved in the “illegal settlement expansion.”
“Britain will not stand back and accept the destruction of the two state solution,” Miliband said.
Israel’s foreign minister on Thursday slammed a demand by the UK government to halt the settlement project.
Saar said he rejected “outright” Miliband’s statement and “the patronizing tone of his words.”
“The Jewish people have the right to live throughout the Land of Israel, just as the British have the right to live in London and throughout the United Kingdom,” he wrote on X.
Saar went on to accuse the UK of “blaming only Israel while ignoring Palestinian extremism” which he said was fueling antisemitic attacks against the British Jewish community.
“The UK Government’s decision to damage the relationship between our countries is deeply unfortunate,” he added, vowing that “Israel will defend its rights, its interests and its people.”
Germany also condemned Israeli plans for settlement expansion in the so-called E1 area of the occupied West Bank, saying it jeopardizes the prospect for a two-state solution.
“Our message is clear: there must be no further steps toward annexation in the West Bank,” said German government spokesman, Sebastian Hille.
“No formal ones, but also no political, structural, or other measures whose impact is increasingly and obviously leading toward annexation. They run counter to a two-state solution,” Hille said.
France’s Jean-Noël Barrot did not rule out further sanctions on Israeli settlers in the West Bank, who have increasingly been harassing and assaulting Palestinian residents in recent months, often with the aim to take their property.
“We imposed European sanctions against these settlers for the third time on May 28,” he said.
“Further sanctions could be imposed and all options are on the table,” Barrot added.
Ce qu’il se passe aujourd’hui en Cisjordanie est proprement indigne et devrait tous nous révulser. C’est la raison pour laquelle nous avons sanctionné le ministre Ben Gvir dont les propos récents sont insupportables et inhumains.
C'est aussi pourquoi j'ai poussé pour que des… pic.twitter.com/WvBJ7sDZMu
— Jean-Noël Barrot (@jnbarrot) August 19, 2026
Israel approved the plans for the roughly 12-square-kilometer parcel of land known as E1 just east of Jerusalem, in August last year.
The plan seeks to build around 3,400 homes on the ultra-sensitive tract of land, which lies between Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim.
The latest tender covers more than 1,200 housing units, according to Israeli NGO Peace Now.
Peace Now said Israel’s housing ministry published the tender on August 18 and immediately opened it for bids.
Submissions are due by October 19, one week before Israeli elections scheduled for October 27.
The group said the homes accounted for about one-third of the planned E1 development and accused the government of trying to advance construction commitments before the vote.
Israel heavily restricts the movement of West Bank Palestinians, who must obtain permits from authorities to travel through checkpoints to cross into east Jerusalem or Israel.
Last year, Britain and France were among 21 countries who condemned Israeli approval of the E1 project, calling it a violation of international law and urging Israel to reverse the decision.
Excluding east Jerusalem, the West Bank is home to around three million Palestinians, as well as about 500,000 Israeli settlers.
- With AFP
