Israeli forces demolish a two-story Palestinian house in the village of Ed-Deirat, part of the town of Yatta in the southern West Bank, while taking security measures in the area on May 4, 2026, in Hebron, West Bank, Palestine. [Wisam Hashlamoun – Anadolu Agency]
Italy, Britain, France and Germany warned Friday that the situation in the occupied West Bank has “deteriorated significantly” in recent months amid rising settler violence and Israeli policies they said are undermining stability and prospects for peace, Anadolu reports.
In a joint statement, the four European countries said Israeli settlement activity — including a proposed development in the so-called E1 area — would violate international law and further fragment the territory, jeopardizing the possibility of a viable Palestinian state.
E1 is a roughly 12-square-kilometer (4.6-square-mile) area in the occupied West Bank between East Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim. Israeli authorities have long promoted plans to build thousands of housing units and related infrastructure there to strengthen links between the settlement and Jerusalem.
“The E1 settlement development would divide the West Bank in two and mark a serious breach of international law,” the statement said.
