UK summons Israel’s charge d'affaires over ‘destructive’ West Bank settlement tender

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband expressed strong disapproval of Israel's decision to hold a tender for the West Bank E1 settlement project, and promptly summoned the Israeli charge d'affaires to address his country's concerns. The E1 settlement project is a contentious Israeli plan that would fragment the Palestinian state by cutting through land they claim for their future homeland.

Miliband made it clear to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar that Israel must halt the E1 plans immediately, rescind the tender, and cease all settlement expansion. He pledged a comprehensive response to Israeli government policies, aimed at protecting the viability of a Palestinian state, imposing sanctions on those involved in illegal settlement growth, and promoting a just and lasting peace for both Israelis and Palestinians.

The Israeli government has authorized the construction of approximately 1,200 homes in the occupied West Bank as part of the E1 project, with a deadline set before the country's October general election. Over 3,400 housing units have already been approved for the E1 area, a region east of Jerusalem that has been under consideration for development for over two decades but was previously halted due to US pressure during prior administrations.

Miliband characterized the announcement of the tender as an "unacceptable and destructive act," stating that the project would intrude on the core of Palestinian territory and threaten the feasibility of a two-state solution. He underscored that Britain had openly and privately opposed the E1 plan and championed the two-state solution as the only path to secure and enduring peace for both sides.

Any settlement development is deemed a clear violation of international law and a threat to the prospects for a viable Palestinian state. Miliband emphasized that the effects of settler violence and terrorism have been devastating for Palestinian communities. He firmly stated that Britain would not remain passive while the two-state solution is destroyed and that the UK's E5 group of European nations, comprising Denmark, Greece, France, Latvia, and the UK, had previously cautioned businesses against engaging with Israel's E1 settlement project, labeling it a deliberate and direct assault on the Palestinian state's viability and potentially leading to annexation and forced displacement.