Europe, Canada condemn Israel's new West Bank settlement plan
Al Jazeera Staff
Israel's plan to build a major new settlement in the occupied West Bank, known as E1, has drawn sharp condemnation from European nations, Canada, and others. Critics say the project would split the West Bank and undermine the prospects for a contiguous Palestinian state, while the UN and human rights groups highlight escalating displacement.
Israel's plan to build a large new settlement in the occupied West Bank, which would effectively split the territory in two, has drawn widespread international condemnation.
In a joint statement on Thursday, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, and Norway called Israel's tendering of more than 1,200 housing units under the E1 settlement project “unacceptable” and a violation of “the territorial contiguity of Palestinian lands.” The group warned of “legal and reputational consequences” for those involved and urged Israel to “withdraw these plans immediately and cease settlement expansion in the West Bank.”
“These settlements not only move us further from peace, they further weaken Israel's international standing,” the statement said.
Egypt's Foreign Ministry also voiced “complete rejection of efforts to entrench the status quo through unlawful settlement expansion” and called on the international community “to take serious steps to stop these violations.”
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim wrote on social media that the plans “gravely undermine the prospects of a contiguous Palestinian homeland,” adding that Israel had abandoned “even the pretense of seeking peace or respecting the will of the international community.”
The United Nations also condemned the plan. Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the Secretary-General is “deeply troubled by reports of new illegal Israeli settlement outposts in the West Bank,” including the new tender.
Israeli settlements and outposts in occupied territory are illegal under international law, but their development has accelerated since the Israeli government launched its devastating war in Gaza in October 2023.
The E1 project, which is set to include at least 3,400 housing units, would link occupied East Jerusalem with the Maale Adumim settlement across roughly 12 square kilometers of Palestinian land. The settlement would sever the West Bank from north to south, cutting off the territory's connection to East Jerusalem, which Palestinians have long considered the capital of their future state.
Israel gave final approval to the E1 plan last August, with hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich hailing it as “historic.” “The Palestinian state is being erased from the negotiating table not with slogans but with actions,” he said.
At the time, at least 21 countries condemned the plans. Israel's decision to continue expansion comes as human rights groups warn of mass displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank amid rising settler attacks and the growth of illegal outposts.
Research from the UN humanitarian agency shows that in the first four months of 2026, more Palestinians were displaced by settler attacks, home demolitions, and evictions than in all of 2025. Human Rights Watch said in a recent report that dozens of Palestinian communities in the West Bank are at risk of being wiped out.
Analysts suggest that the Israeli government's push to expand settlements is linked to elections scheduled for October.
