EU urged to 'act now' to stop West Bank settlement project

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, on Thursday, August 14, 2025. OHAD ZWIGENBERG/AP

Over 400 former diplomats, ministers, and senior officials urged the European Union, on Wednesday, April 6, to "act now" against Israel's "illegal" settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The open letter comes as Israel intends to move forward with E1, a new construction project covering around 12 square kilometres (4.6 square miles) with some 3,400 housing units in the occupied West Bank. The move would further separate East Jerusalem, occupied and annexed by Israel and predominantly inhabited by Palestinians, from the West Bank.

Subscribers only

Israeli government accelerates settlement expansion in occupied West Bank

EU urged to 'act now' to stop West Bank settlement project

Related reading

UK government urged to act over proposed illegal Israeli settlement

EU agrees to sanction Israeli settlers in West Bank - UPI.com

EU agrees sanctions on Israeli settlers over West Bank violence

Former EU ambassadors warn: Europe’s silence on Gaza is complicity

EU countries seek ban on trade with illegal zones of Israel

EU condemns Israel’s West Bank control measures