France, Germany, Italy and UK Condemn Israels E1 Settlement Plans
France, Germany, Italy, and the UK have condemned Israel's E1 settlement plans, urging withdrawal of tenders for 1,200 units.
Jerusalem, 20 August, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom on Thursday condemned Israel’s decision to issue construction tenders for the E1 settlement project, calling it “unacceptable” and urging the government to withdraw the plans.
The Housing and Construction Ministry tender, with a submission deadline of October 19, calls for 1,200 to 1,234 housing units in E1, an area between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim. The deadline falls about a week before the October 27 Knesset election.
The E1 zone lies at the narrowest point between Judea in the south and Samaria in the north. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has strongly backed development in the area, which critics say could prevent the creation of a geographically contiguous Palestinian state.
During a ceremony marking the return to Kadim, evacuated during the 2005 disengagement, Smotrich rejected foreign criticism, declaring: “The British Mandate in Eretz Israel ended. We will not accept dictates from foreign countries.”