Reaction from the EU to Israel's E1 settlement project

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in her post on the social media platform of US-based company X, stated that the Israeli government's decision to publish construction tenders for the E1 settlement project is "unacceptable".

Emphasizing that the EU has long opposed this step, von der Leyen stated that the E1 project would disrupt the geographical continuity of Palestinian lands by dividing the West Bank and weaken the two-state solution.

"We remain committed to a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution," von der Leyen said. shared his message.

Joint statement with 14 countries

The number of signatory countries of the joint statement published by the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada and Norway on August 20 has increased.

Following Australia, New Zealand, Sweden and Belgium, Austria and Spain also joined the statement. Today, the EU Commission and Greece were added to the signatories.

In the joint statement, the Israeli government's decision to publish construction tenders within the scope of the E1 settlement project was described as "unacceptable".

In the statement, it was stated that the E1 project would divide the West Bank, harm the geographical integrity of Palestinian lands and weaken the possibility of a two-state solution, and emphasized that the international community has long opposed this settlement expansion.

In the statement, it was reminded that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are against international law and called on the Israeli government to immediately withdraw the plans and end the expansion of settlements in the West Bank.

"E1 Project" that will expand the occupation in Palestine

The "E1 Project" was launched to connect the "Maale Adumim" Jewish settlement, built near Ayzeriye, a Palestinian neighborhood that was historically part of East Jerusalem but remained in the West Bank part of the Separation (Shame) Wall, to the road leading to West Jerusalem.

In this context, 12 thousand acres of Palestinian land were seized in 1999 to build more than 4 thousand illegal residences and hotels in the region.

The Israeli administration had frozen the "E1 Project", which was said to prevent the establishment of the State of Palestine, due to pressure from previous US administrations.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the "E1 Project" in September 2025, which will effectively divide the occupied West Bank into two.

With the "E1 Project", Israel aims to cut the connection between occupied East Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories in the West Bank.

In violation of its commitment regarding the "E1" Jewish settlement project, the Israeli government published the first tender announcement for 1234 houses without prior notice to the objecting parties.