Seven countries, including the UK, France and Germany, have called on Israel to “end the expansion of settlements in the West Bank” and withdraw a tender for the construction of more than 1,200 homes under the E1 project.
Last year, Israel approved plans to build more than 3,400 homes in the E1 area of the West Bank, which would split Palestinian territory in two.
“At a time of serious instability in the West Bank, with unprecedented levels of settler violence against civilians and severe restrictions on the Palestinian economy, this decision is even more concerning,” the seven countries said in a statement published yesterday.
Israel has built around 160 settlements, home to about 700,000 Jewish settlers, since it occupied the West Bank in 1967.
All settlements are considered illegal under international law. Under international pressure, Israel had until now avoided moving ahead with construction plans in the E1 area, east of Jerusalem.
In a separate statement, the UN said the plan poses an “existential threat” to a unified and territorially contiguous Palestinian state.
Israel has built around 160 settlements, home to about 700,000 Jewish settlers, since it occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. The Palestinians claim these territories, along with Gaza, for a future independent state. An estimated 3.3 million Palestinians live in the same area.
Source: BBC
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