France has joined Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom in calling on Israel to halt the expansion of settlements illegal under international law in the occupied West Bank, and immediately withdraw tenders issued this week for more than 1,200 new homes under the controversial E1 project.
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In a joint statement released on Thursday, Paris, Berlin, Rome and London said the move was particularly concerning at a time of heightened instability in the West Bank, citing rising settler violence and growing pressure on the Palestinian economy.
“At a time when the West Bank is experiencing serious instability, with unprecedented levels of violence committed by settlers against civilians and severe restrictions imposed on the Palestinian economy, this decision is all the more worrying,” the four countries said.
France and its European partners warned that the E1 development could further undermine hopes for a negotiated two-state solution by weakening the territorial continuity of a future Palestinian state.
“The E1 settlement will undermine the prospects for a two-state solution by creating a division across the West Bank and undermining the territorial contiguity of the Palestinian Territories,” the statement said.
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Two-state solution
Israel approved the E1 programme in August 2025, paving the way for around 3,400 homes in a 12-square-kilometre area between the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim and East Jerusalem in the West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967.
Critics say the project would cut across territory needed for a viable Palestinian state, making movement between the northern and southern West Bank more difficult and further isolating East Jerusalem.
France has repeatedly backed a two-state solution and warned that continued settlement expansion threatens its viability.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot echoed those concerns, saying E1 “would cut the West Bank in two” and “seriously undermine the viability of the two-state solution”.
He also called on Israel to withdraw the tenders and halt settlement expansion, noting that this is illegal under international law.
Israel’s Housing Ministry issued tenders on Tuesday for more than 1,200 homes under the project, according to Peace Now and Israeli media. Bids are open until 19 October – eight days before Israel’s general election.
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Warning to companies
France, Germany, Italy and the UK also warned that continued settlement expansion risked further damaging Israel’s diplomatic standing.
Such decisions would continue to “weaken Israel’s position on the international stage”, the four countries said, describing the launch of the E1 tenders as “unacceptable”.
Their intervention also included an unusually direct warning to businesses that might be considering taking part in the construction programme.
“Companies must not consider bidding for these construction projects,” the four governments said. “They must be aware of the legal and reputational consequences, in particular the risk of becoming complicit in serious violations of international law.”
The warning underlines the increasingly firm stance being taken by France and several of its European partners towards commercial involvement in Israeli settlement activity.
For Paris, the dispute over E1 is also part of a broader effort to preserve the possibility of a two-state settlement at a time when France has been seeking to keep diplomatic momentum behind Palestinian statehood and a negotiated political solution.
(with newswires)
