Israel’s plans to launch tenders for the construction of around 1,200 buildings in the strategically important occupied West Bank have drawn condemnation from Western countries, writes the BBC.
Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Canada have declared the decision unacceptable and called on Israel to immediately withdraw its plans. From the point of view of international law, all Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are illegal, and due to international pressure, Israel has avoided building in the E1 sector east of Jerusalem for several decades. Both Israel’s allies and the Palestinians have repeatedly stressed that the establishment of a settlement in this place would be a huge blow to hopes for a two-state solution, as the newly created settlement would split the West Bank in two and isolate East Jerusalem.
The European and Canadian statement released on the 20th of August said that, given the lack of stability and the extremely high level of violence against Palestinians by Israeli settlers, as well as the severe restrictions imposed on the Palestinian economy, the Israeli decision is all the more worrying. The Israeli plans will not only further distance peace, but will also further damage Israel’s reputation in the international environment.
In a separate statement,
the UN Secretary-General pointed out that the E1 construction plan poses an existential threat to the state of Palestine.
The Belgian foreign minister also said the same. The condemnation expressed by British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband on the 20th of August provoked an immediate and sharp reaction from the Israeli foreign minister.
The Israeli government, despite a court challenge by Palestinian Bedouin and Israeli peace groups, on the 19th of August announced a tender for the construction of 1,234 buildings (a total of 3,401 buildings were approved last August). The buildings will be located on an area of about 12 square kilometers. At the time of the project’s release, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared that the idea of a Palestinian state had been “erased.”
The tender will close on October 19, just before elections scheduled for October 27, which means that the next government will have a much harder time challenging the results.
Since occupying the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Israel has established around 160 settlements, home to 700,000 Jews. These are the territories that, along with Gaza, the Palestinians wanted for their state. Around 3.3 million Palestinians live alongside Jewish settlements. Despite international opposition, Israeli governments have allowed settlements to expand over time.
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