The European Union has condemned the Israeli government’s decision to publish a tender for the construction of more than 1,200 housing units under the E1 settlement plan in the West Bank.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas issued the condemnation in a statement released by the European External Action Service.
EU warns West Bank could be divided
According to the statement, implementation of the E1 settlement plan “would divide the West Bank in two, isolating East Jerusalem, and further undermine the viability of the two-state solution”.
The EU said the development comes amid escalating instability in the West Bank and unprecedented levels of settler violence, while also noting recent prosecutions brought by Israeli authorities against some perpetrators of such violence.
Brussels reiterated its position that Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including in the E1 area, are illegal under international law.
Israel urged to withdraw tender
The EU called on the Israeli government to withdraw the tender, halt the E1 settlement plan and suspend any other plans for settlement expansion.
It also called for accountability over settler violence.
In Kallas’s statement, the EU reaffirmed its “unwavering commitment to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution, in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions”.
Under that framework, two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, would coexist peacefully within secure and recognised borders.
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