Paris (EFE).- France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy demanded on Thursday that Israel «retract immediately» the expansionist plans of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in the occupied West Bank, specifically the ‘E1’ settlement project, which would divide the north and south of the territory.
«We urge the Government of Israel to retract these plans immediately and end its expansion of settlements in the West Bank. Not only will they take us further from peace, but they further undermine Israel’s international standing,» the four European nations warned in a joint statement released by the French presidency.
The Israeli government has announced a new tender for the construction of 1,234 housing units within the controversial ‘E1 plan.’ This project aims to divide the north and south of the occupied West Bank and isolate East Jerusalem, ignoring both international opposition and a pending legal appeal.
The housing units are a part of the 3,401 approved ones a year ago for the project. The tender comes despite a legal appeal filed in June with the Jerusalem District Court, to which the State was scheduled to respond this September.
«Businesses should not consider bidding for construction tenders. They should be aware of legal and reputational consequences including the risk of involving themselves in serious breaches of international law,» urged Paris, London, Berlin, and Rome.
According to the four capitals, the ‘E1’ settlement «undermine the prospect of the two-state solution by driving a wedge through the West Bank and harming the territorial contiguity of the Palestinian Territories.»
«International law is clear that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal. This is the position of the international community reaffirmed by the United Nations Security Council,» they emphasized. EFE
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