LONDON: Britain summoned Israel’s charge d’affaires on Wednesday and demanded an immediate halt to a major settlement project in the occupied West Bank after Israeli authorities opened bidding for more than 1,200 new homes.
British Foreign Minister Ed Miliband described the move as an “unacceptable and destructive act”, warning that the E1 project threatened the viability of a future Palestinian state.
“The Israeli Government must halt E1 plans immediately, retract the tender and stop all settlement expansion,” Miliband said.
He said he had also delivered the message directly to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
Britain plans to announce additional measures in the coming weeks, including sanctions against individuals involved in what London describes as illegal settlement expansion.
E1 project draws criticism
Israel approved plans for the roughly 12-square-kilometre E1 area, located east of Jerusalem between the city and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in August 2025.
The wider project envisages construction of around 3,400 homes. Critics argue that development in the strategically sensitive area would further separate predominantly Palestinian east Jerusalem from the West Bank and undermine the territorial continuity of a future Palestinian state.
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The latest tender covers more than 1,200 housing units, according to Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now.
The group said Israel’s housing ministry published the tender on August 18 and immediately opened bidding, with submissions due by October 19 — eight days before Israel’s scheduled October 27 elections.
Peace Now said the latest homes represent around one-third of the planned E1 development and accused the government of seeking to advance construction commitments before the election.
The project has faced widespread international opposition. Britain and France were among 21 countries that condemned its approval last year, calling on Israel to reverse the decision.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres previously warned that the E1 project posed an “existential threat” to the prospect of a contiguous Palestinian state.
Around three million Palestinians live in the West Bank, excluding east Jerusalem, alongside approximately 500,000 Israeli settlers.
