France condemns Israel's West Bank settlement plan as serious breach of international law
RFI
Sat, August 16, 2025
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich holds a map that shows the E1 settlement project during a press conference near the settlement of Maale Adumim, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025.
France has condemned Israel’s plan to build 3,400 new homes in the occupied West Bank, calling the project a “serious violation of international law” that risks destroying any chance of a contiguous Palestinian state.
The French foreign ministry insisted the so-called E1 settlement, east of Jerusalem, threatens to cut the West Bank in two, undermining prospects for Palestinian statehood.
The French foreign ministry spokesperson said France “condemns with the utmost firmness” the project and reiterated calls for Israel to halt all settlement activity, which “systematically erode the viability of a Palestinian state.”\
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right figure, openly boasted that the construction would make a Palestinian state impossible. The plan, expected to receive final approval later this month, has been frozen for years amid international pressure but is now moving forward.
The area is critical as one of the last geographic links between the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem; its development would force Palestinians to take long detours through numerous checkpoints, adding hours to travel.
France, along with many other countries, has strongly condemned the plans and warned the settlements contravene international law and jeopardise the prospects for peace.
The French government’s sharp criticism comes amid growing concerns over escalating tensions and violence in the West Bank and Gaza, where the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to deepen. France remains a strong advocate for a two-state solution, warning that settlement expansion risks making that goal impossible and fuelling further unrest in the region.
(With newswires)
Germany tells Israeli government to stop West Bank settlement construction
Reuters
Fri, August 15, 2025
Israeli flag flutters, as part of the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim is visible in the background, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank
BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany on Friday called on the Israeli government to stop settlement construction in the West Bank after Israel's far-right finance minister said work would start on a plan for thousands of home that would divide the Palestinian territory.
Germany "firmly rejects the Israeli government's announcements regarding the approval of thousands of new housing units in Israeli settlements in the West Bank," said a foreign ministry spokesperson in a statement.
Plans for the "E1" settlement and the expansion of Maale Adumim would further restrict the mobility of the Palestinian population in the West Bank by splitting it in half and cutting the area off from East Jerusalem, said the spokesperson.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Thursday that work would start on the long-delayed settlement, a move that his office said would "bury" the idea of a Palestinian state.
In a statement, Smotrich's spokesperson said the minister had approved the plan to build 3,401 houses for Israeli settlers between an existing settlement in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Germany has repeatedly warned the Israeli government to stop settlement construction in the West Bank, which violates international law and U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Such moves complicate steps towards a negotiated two-state solution and end to Israeli occupation of the West Bank, said the spokesperson.
(Writing by Miranda Murray, Editing by Rachel More)
Israeli far-right minister backs contentious West Bank settlement plan
AFP
Thu, August 14, 2025
Menahem Kahana/AFP
Israel's finance minister backed plans on Thursday to build 3,400 homes in a particularly contentious area of the occupied West Bank, calling for the territory's annexation in response to several countries' plans to recognise a Palestinian state.
The United Nations chief warned that building Israeli homes in the area would "put an end to" hopes for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel has long had ambitions to build on the sensitive parcel of land east of Jerusalem known as E1, but the plan has been frozen for decades amid international opposition.
Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law, while critics and the international community have warned construction on the roughly 12 square kilometres would undermine hopes for a contiguous future Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.
The site sits between the ancient city and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, near routes connecting the north and south of the Palestinian territory. There are also separate, frozen plans to expand Israel's separation barrier to envelop the area.
"Those who want to recognise a Palestinian state today will receive a response from us on the ground... Through concrete actions: houses, neighbourhoods, roads and Jewish families building their lives," said Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's finance minister, who was speaking at a pro-settlement event on the advancement of plans for the E1 parcel.
"On this important day, I call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to apply Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, to abandon once and for all the idea of partitioning the country, and to ensure that by September, the hypocritical European leaders will have nothing left to recognise," the far-right figurehead added, using the Biblical term for the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.
Britain and France are among several countries to announce in recent weeks plans to recognise a Palestinian state later this year, saying they wanted to keep the two-state solution alive.
- 'Breach of international law' -
Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said "If this went ahead -- which we call on the Israeli government not to do... it would sever the northern and southern West banks."
Israel's finance minister backed plans on Thursday to build 3,400 homes in a particularly contentious area of the occupied West Bank, calling for the territory's annexation in response to several countries' plans to recognise a Palestinian state.
The United Nations chief warned that building Israeli homes in the area would "put an end to" hopes for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel has long had ambitions to build on the sensitive parcel of land east of Jerusalem known as E1, but the plan has been frozen for decades amid international opposition.
Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law, while critics and the international community have warned construction on the roughly 12 square kilometres would undermine hopes for a contiguous future Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.
The site sits between the ancient city and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, near routes connecting the north and south of the Palestinian territory. There are also separate, frozen plans to expand Israel's separation barrier to envelop the area.
"Those who want to recognise a Palestinian state today will receive a response from us on the ground... Through concrete actions: houses, neighbourhoods, roads and Jewish families building their lives," said Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's finance minister, who was speaking at a pro-settlement event on the advancement of plans for the E1 parcel.
"On this important day, I call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to apply Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, to abandon once and for all the idea of partitioning the country, and to ensure that by September, the hypocritical European leaders will have nothing left to recognise," the far-right figurehead added, using the Biblical term for the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.
Britain and France are among several countries to announce in recent weeks plans to recognise a Palestinian state later this year, saying they wanted to keep the two-state solution alive.
- 'Breach of international law' -
Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said "If this went ahead -- which we call on the Israeli government not to do... it would sever the northern and southern West banks."
He added that "it would put an end to the prospects of a two-state solution".
The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the plans and called for "genuine international intervention and the imposition of sanctions on the occupation to compel it to halt the implementation".
"Colonial construction in the E1 area is a continuation of the occupation's plans to destroy the opportunity for the establishment of a Palestinian state," it added.
The European Union's chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said the plan "further undermines the two-state solution while being a breach of international law" and called on Israel "to desist".
Germany said it "strongly objects" to the plan and called on the Israeli government to "stop settlement construction", while Saudi Arabia also condemned the move "in the strongest possible terms".
Israeli NGO Peace Now, which monitors settlement activity in the West Bank, denounced the E1 plan as "deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two-state solution".
The NGO said the final approval hearing would be held next Wednesday by a technical committee under the defence ministry that has already rejected all objections to the proposals.
After the bureaucratic steps are completed, "infrastructure work in E1 could begin within a few months, and housing construction within about a year", Peace Now said.
The West Bank is home to around three million Palestinians, as well as about 500,000 Israeli settlers.
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The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the plans and called for "genuine international intervention and the imposition of sanctions on the occupation to compel it to halt the implementation".
"Colonial construction in the E1 area is a continuation of the occupation's plans to destroy the opportunity for the establishment of a Palestinian state," it added.
The European Union's chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said the plan "further undermines the two-state solution while being a breach of international law" and called on Israel "to desist".
Germany said it "strongly objects" to the plan and called on the Israeli government to "stop settlement construction", while Saudi Arabia also condemned the move "in the strongest possible terms".
Israeli NGO Peace Now, which monitors settlement activity in the West Bank, denounced the E1 plan as "deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two-state solution".
The NGO said the final approval hearing would be held next Wednesday by a technical committee under the defence ministry that has already rejected all objections to the proposals.
After the bureaucratic steps are completed, "infrastructure work in E1 could begin within a few months, and housing construction within about a year", Peace Now said.
The West Bank is home to around three million Palestinians, as well as about 500,000 Israeli settlers.
bur-hba/mib/acc/dcp/tc/dhc
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