European leaders urge Israel to halt settlement plans in E1 area of West Bank

ISTANBUL

European leaders on Friday renewed calls for Israel to halt its settlement expansion plans in the occupied West Bank, warning that the move would breach international law and jeopardize prospects for a two-state solution.

Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen voiced “deep concern” over Israel’s intention to advance the E1 settlement plan.

“The move undermines prospects for a viable Palestinian state and breaches international law. Israel should refrain from taking this decision forward,” Valtonen wrote on US social media platform X.

Her remarks followed a wave of condemnation on Thursday, when the UK, Germany, Spain and the EU all issued strong warnings against the project after Israeli media reported that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had approved the construction of 3,401 settler units in Ma’ale Adumim, east of Jerusalem, and 3,515 more in surrounding areas.

The German Foreign Ministry said the plans violate international law, threaten the viability of a negotiated two-state solution, and would “effectively divide the West Bank into two halves” while cutting off East Jerusalem from the rest of the territory.

It urged Israel to halt settlement construction, rejecting any unilateral annexation plans.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the “situation in Gaza is appalling” and accused Israel of “further jeopardising the two-state solution.”

He stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, increased humanitarian aid, and a plan for lasting peace.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares called the decision to build 3,000 homes in the West Bank “a new violation of international law” that undermines peace prospects.

“We condemn the expansion of settlements and the violence of settlers,” he said.

Switzerland also voiced strong opposition to Israel’s plan to build thousands of housing units in the E1 and Ma’ale Adumim settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The Swiss Foreign Ministry said on US social media company X, the projects “violate international law, undermine the two-State solution, and fuel tensions.”

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned that if implemented, the settlement plan would “permanently cut the geographical and territorial contiguity” between East Jerusalem and the West Bank, fueling tensions and eroding the possibility for peace.

She said the EU is considering actions to protect the viability of the two-state solution.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry denounced the move as part of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vision for “Greater Israel,” warning it would entrench the occupation and eliminate the viability of a Palestinian state.

The international community, including the UN, considers the Israeli settlements illegal under international law.

The UN has repeatedly warned that continued settlement expansion threatens the viability of a two-state solution, a framework seen as key to resolving the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

In an advisory opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.