A letter signed by 448 former European ministers, ambassadors and officials warned that the Israeli East 1 project would divide the West Bank and undermine any possibility of establishing a geographically contiguous Palestinian state. European Union leaders called for "acting now" and imposing specific sanctions, including bans on visas and commercial activities, on those involved in illegal settlement, with a focus on those promoting and participating in tenders for this project.
Published on: 05/06/2026 - 05:24 Last updated: 05/06/2026 - 07:42
On Wednesday, more than 400 former European ministers, ambassadors and officials sent an open letter to European Union leaders, in which they called for “action now” against what they described as “illegal annexation” carried out by Israel in the occupied West Bank through the E1 (East 1) project, which aims to build thousands of housing units.
The letter, signed by 448 former European officials, including former European Commission Vice President Josep Borrell and former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, said: “The European Union and its member states, in cooperation with their partners, must take immediate steps to deter Israel from continuing its illegal annexation of Palestinian lands in the West Bank.”
According to the letter, in August 2025, Israel had approved the E1 project, a plan that would divide the occupied West Bank into two parts, eliminating any possibility of establishing a Palestinian state with future geographical contiguity. In December, Israel issued a tender to build 3,400 housing units on an area of 12 square kilometers in East Jerusalem.
The letter indicates that the United Nations, the European Union, and a large number of international leaders have previously called on Israel to withdraw from this project.
Read also: France renews its efforts to impose European sanctions on Israeli settlers “in the coming days”
The signatories warn that “on June 1, the Israeli government intends to issue detailed tenders to develop the area included in the E1 project.”
For this reason, they stressed that “the European Union and its Member States must act now, and in particular during the Foreign Affairs Council meeting on 11 May.”
The signatories also believed that “the European Union, at the very least, is required to impose targeted sanctions, including visa bans and the prohibition of commercial activities within the European Union, on all persons involved in illegal settlement operations, especially those who promote and participate in the E1 project tenders and implement its plan.”
The data contained in the letter show that Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and that more than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank (excluding East Jerusalem) in settlements that the United Nations considers illegal under international law, among about three million Palestinians.
The "Peace Now" organization also reports that the current Israeli government has accelerated the pace of settlement expansion, as it agreed in 2025 to build 54 settlements in a record number, while more than a hundred settlements have been approved since this government took power in 2022.
France 24/AFP
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