Israel’s E1 settlement tenders draw international, Arab opposition
Shafaq News- Middle East
The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, and Norway on Thursday urged Israel to withdraw the construction tenders for the E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank, warning that it would divide Palestinian territory and undermine prospects for a two-state solution.
In a joint statement, the seven countries called the move “unacceptable” and maintained that E1 would “drive a wedge through the West Bank.” They reiterated that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law and voiced particular concern amid rising settler violence and restrictions on the Palestinian economy.
The governments also cautioned businesses against bidding for the contracts, citing possible “legal and reputational consequences” from involvement in serious breaches of international law.
Egypt and Jordan separately condemned the project, with Cairo highlighting its impact on East Jerusalem and Amman accusing Israel of seeking to entrench the occupation. Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy, in a statement, called for UN Security Council action, pointing to Resolution 2334, which states that settlements in territories occupied since 1967 have “no legal validity.”
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt (@MFAEgOfficial) August 20, 2026
دانت وزارة الخارجية وشؤون المغتربين قيام سلطات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي بطرح عطاءات لبناء 1234 وحدة استيطانية ضمن المشروع الاستيطاني"E1" شرقي القدس المحتلة في الضفة الغربية المحتلة؛ خرقًا فاضحًا للقانون الدولي والقانون الدولي الإنساني، وانتهاكًا واضحًا لحق الشعب الفلسطيني غير القابل… pic.twitter.com/XDvQ9WiV9U
— وزارة الخارجية وشؤون المغتربين الأردنية (@ForeignMinistry) August 20, 2026
Palestinian National Council President Rawhi Fattouh warned that issuing the tenders brings E1 closer to implementation and threatens the foundations of a future Palestinian state.
Israel opened bidding on Tuesday for 1,234 homes in E1, part of 3,401 housing units approved in August 2025. The roughly 12-square-kilometer area lies between occupied East Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim.
Plans for E1 remained stalled for decades amid international opposition because construction there would interrupt Palestinian links between the northern and southern West Bank and further separate East Jerusalem from surrounding communities.
Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 war. Around 700,000 Israeli settlers live in roughly 160 settlements across the two territories alongside about 3.3 million Palestinians. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal under international law, a position Israel disputes.
Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement watchdog that has challenged the plans in court, accused the government of pursuing the settler right’s “vision of annexation” during the election period. Implementation, the watchdog cautioned, could isolate dozens of Bedouin communities, including Khan al-Ahmar, and force residents from their land.
זה לא עוד מכרז בהתנחלות. E1 היא אחת מתוכניות הבנייה הקטלניות ביותר מבחינת האפשרות להגיע להסדר מדיני. היא נועדה לקטוע את הרצף הטריטוריאלי הפלסטיני, לנתק את מזרח ירושלים משאר הגדה ולחסל את האפשרות למדינה פלסטינית בת קיימא לצד ישראל. זו הסיבה שבמשך עשרות שנים נמנעו ממשלות ישראל… pic.twitter.com/U0UnPtnObA
— שלום עכשיו (@PeaceNowIL) August 20, 2026
The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission (CRRC), a PA government body affiliated with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), similarly warned that the plans could confine Palestinians to “disconnected enclaves surrounded by settlements.”
