BERLIN

Germany on Friday criticized Israel’s latest plan to build thousands of new housing units in the occupied West Bank, warning that the move violates international law and undermines prospects for a negotiated two-state solution.

“The Israeli E1 settlement project to build thousands of new housing units is a clear violation of international law. It would divide the West Bank and further complicate a negotiated two-state solution and thus also lasting peace. Israel should stop building settlements,” German government human rights commissioner Lars Castellucci said on the US-based social media platform X.

Berlin reiterated its long-standing opposition to Israeli settlement expansion, noting that such actions only entrench the occupation rather than contribute to peace.

Germany had already warned on Dec. 22 that Israel’s continued settlement construction would “perpetuate the Israeli occupation of the West Bank instead of ending it.”

“The German government's position is very clear: settlement construction violates international law. We reject it outright,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kathrin Deschauer said during a press briefing in Berlin.

She added that settlement expansion also jeopardizes Germany’s stated objective of achieving a negotiated two-state solution and contradicts international legal obligations, including those outlined by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Israeli authorities earlier this week issued a tender to build 3,401 new settler homes in an area known as E1, east of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, according to a Palestinian government body.

In a statement, the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission warned that the project could sever East Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings and obstruct the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state.

The E1 area is considered a strategic corridor that Israel plans to use to connect occupied East Jerusalem with nearby settlements, including Maale Adumim, through land confiscation and new construction. Palestinians argue that the plan would prevent natural Palestinian urban expansion and deal a severe blow to the territorial viability of a future Palestinian state.