Britain has summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires and demanded that the Israeli government withdraw a tender for construction in the controversial E1 settlement area in the West Bank.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband on Wednesday described Israel’s publication of the tender as an “unacceptable and destructive act”, warning that construction in E1 could threaten the viability of a future Palestinian state.
Miliband said he had also spoken to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and called on the government to “halt E1 plans immediately, retract the tender and stop all settlement expansion”.
The E1 area lies east of Jerusalem, between the city and the Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Adumim. Israel this week opened bidding for the construction of 1,234 housing units across seven residential compounds in the area.
Palestinians and critics of the project argue that developing E1 would disrupt territorial continuity between the northern and southern parts of the West Bank and further separate East Jerusalem from surrounding Palestinian areas.
“E1 would cut across the heart of Palestine and risks separating the West Bank from East Jerusalem,” Miliband said, warning that it would endanger a two-state solution.
Israeli governments have backed development in the strategically located area for decades, but the plans have repeatedly drawn international criticism and faced delays.
The latest tender follows months of warnings from Britain over E1. In July, the UK government explicitly warned businesses against bidding for construction contracts in E1 or other Israeli settlements.
Britain considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law and has repeatedly called on Israel to halt their expansion.
Miliband’s decision to summon the Israeli chargé d’affaires marks a further diplomatic protest from London as tensions with Israel over settlement policy intensify.
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