The leaders of the United Kingdom, Italy, France, and Germany have issued a joint statement opposing Israel's decision to publish construction tenders for the E1 settlement project in the West Bank.
The four governments said the E1 settlement will "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." They stated that "international law is clear that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal," citing the position of the international community as reaffirmed by the United Nations Security Council.
The statement comes amid what the governments described as "grave instability in the West Bank with unprecedented levels of violence by settlers against civilians, and serious restrictions on the Palestinian economy." They called on the Israeli government to "retract these plans immediately and end its expansion of settlements in the West Bank."
The four nations also warned businesses against bidding for the construction tenders, stating they should be "aware of legal and reputational consequences including the risk of involving themselves in serious breaches of international law."
The governments reiterated their "commitment to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution."