UK, France, Germany, Italy and Canada condemn Israel's West Bank settlement project

Aug 20, 2026

Israel's Housing Ministry has opened bidding for 1,234 housing units in the highly sensitive E1 area of the West Bank, drawing fierce condemnation from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Norway, and the Netherlands. Critics and the UN warn the project will bisect the West Bank, effectively destroying the viability of a contiguous Palestinian state. While UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband threatened sanctions, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar rejected the criticism outright, defending Israel's right to build.

E1 settlement tender announcement

▪The Israeli Housing Ministry issued a tender on August 18, 2026, for the construction of 1,234 housing units in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank, with bids due by October 19, 2026.
▪The E1 housing tender was issued despite an Israeli court challenge brought by Bedouin Palestinians living in the area and Israeli peace groups.
▪The E1 housing tender covers approximately 12 square kilometers of land located between East Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim.

Two-state solution viability threat

▪Opponents and the United Nations Secretary-General warn that the E1 project poses an existential threat to a contiguous Palestinian state by cutting off the northern West Bank from the south.
▪The Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now accused the Israeli government of using a last-minute maneuver to secure construction commitments before the general election scheduled for October 27, 2026.

Western condemnation of settlement

▪Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot and the Egyptian government separately condemned the E1 tenders, stating the project seriously undermines the viability of a two-state solution.
▪The leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Norway, and the Netherlands issued a joint statement on August 20, 2026, condemning the E1 settlement decision amid grave instability and settler violence.
▪United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband condemned the E1 project as an unacceptable and destructive act, prompting London to summon Israel's charge d'affaires.

Sanctions warnings from allies

▪In May 2026, Western countries including Canada, Australia, and Germany warned private companies against participating in the construction of West Bank settlements due to legal and reputational consequences.
▪United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband threatened sanctions and other measures in response to Israel's decision to advance the E1 settlement plans.

Israeli government defends settlement

▪Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar rejected the United Kingdom's condemnation, asserting the Jewish people have a right to live throughout the Land of Israel and accusing the UK of ignoring Palestinian extremism.
▪At the time of the E1 plan's initial approval in August 2025, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that the action would erase the idea of a Palestinian state.

West Bank settlement expansion context

▪Israel has built approximately 160 settlements housing 700,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since occupying the territories during the 1967 Middle East war.
▪Israeli settlement expansion has risen sharply since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in late 2022 at the head of a right-wing, pro-settler coalition.