Rome: Italy, Britain, France, and Germany issued a warning on Friday regarding the escalating situation in the occupied West Bank, highlighting significant deterioration in recent months. This decline is attributed to the increasing violence by settlers and Israeli policies that are perceived to be undermining stability and the prospects for peace.
According to Anadolu Agency, a joint statement from these four European nations emphasized that Israeli settlement activities, including a proposed development in the E1 area, would violate international law. This development is seen as further fragmenting the territory and jeopardizing the potential for a viable Palestinian state. The E1 area, spanning approximately 12 square kilometers in the occupied West Bank between East Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, has been targeted by Israeli authorities for the construction of thousands of housing units and related infrastructure to strengthen links between the settlement and Jerusalem.
The statement underlined that the E1 settlement development would effectively divide the West Bank into two, marking a serious breach of international law. Furthermore, the four countries cautioned businesses against involvement in settlement-related projects due to potential legal and reputational consequences.
The European nations urged Israel to halt the expansion of settlements, ensure accountability for settler violence, and investigate allegations involving Israeli forces. They also called on Israel to respect longstanding arrangements governing Jerusalem's holy sites and to ease financial restrictions impacting the Palestinian Authority and economy.
Additionally, the statement rejected calls by some Israeli officials to annex parts of the occupied West Bank and opposed any forced displacement of Palestinians. The four countries reaffirmed their support for a negotiated two-state solution, envisioning Israel and a future Palestinian state coexisting peacefully within internationally recognized borders.
The West Bank, captured by Israel during the 1967 Middle East war, is home to millions of Palestinians and hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers living in settlements widely regarded as illegal under international law, a characterization disputed by Israel. The territory remains a central focus of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with violence intensifying in recent years amid repeated Israeli military raids, Palestinian attacks, and retaliatory settler violence. Efforts to achieve a two-state solution have repeatedly stalled, with unresolved disagreements over borders, security, settlements, and the status of Jerusalem.