France and European allies press Israel to abandon West Bank settlement plan
France has joined Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom in calling on Israel to halt the expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank and immediately withdraw tenders issued this week for more than 1,200 new homes under the controversial E1 project.
In 2005, Israeli settlers were evacuated from the Kadim settlement in the West Bank as part of a broader disengagement plan. The settlement, located near the Palestinian city of Jenin, was considered too isolated and costly to maintain. Recently, the far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, along with other government officials, led a new wave of settlers returning to Kadim.
The settlers, numbering around thirty families from Tel Aviv, arrived in small groups, some escorted by military personnel, and carried supplies in trailers. At the opening ceremony, Smotrich emphasized the return as a fulfillment of a long-desired goal, while also hinting at plans to expand settlements to Gaza in the future. The return of settlers to Kadim has caused concern among locals, who fear increased tension and potential attacks on their property.
The current Israeli government has approved over 100 new settlements in the West Bank, including nineteen in the northern region, in a bid to expand their presence before the upcoming elections.
Written by urgent.news from BBC News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- Israeli settlers return to Kadim in West Bank two decades after it was evacuated bbc.co.uk
- Malaysia denounces Israel's E1 settlement expansion in occupied West Bank middleeasteye.net
- Seven nations urge Israel to halt E1 settlement project in West Bank english.ajel.sa
- Europe, Canada condemn Israeli plans for new West Bank settlement aljazeera.com
