448 European diplomats call for an end to settlement activity in the occupied territories
Hundreds of European diplomats have called for an end to Israeli settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories, stressing that it constitutes a war crime against the Palestinian people.
The signatories demanded, at a minimum, the imposition of specific sanctions targeting individuals associated with settlement activity, including banning them from entering EU countries, as well as banning their participation in economic activities within the bloc, especially those involved in or supporting the E1 project.
448 diplomats and former officials from EU countries have sent an open letter to the bloc's leaders in Brussels, calling for immediate action to stop what they described as the policy of "illegal annexation" in the West Bank, through the E1 settlement project.
Notable European Figures
The letter, signed by prominent figures including former European Commission Vice-President Josep Borrell, stressed the need for coordinated European action in cooperation with international partners, with the aim of deterring Israel from continuing to expand its control over the Palestinian territories.
The signatories believe that the E1 project, which was officially approved in August 2025, has serious geographical and political repercussions, as it will lead to the division of the West Bank into two separate parts, effectively torpedoing the possibility of a geographically contiguous Palestinian state and undermining one of the main pillars of the two-state solution.
In a related context, the letter pointed out that in December 2025, the Israeli authorities issued a tender for the construction of about 3,400 housing units within the project, on an area estimated at about 12 square kilometers east of Jerusalem, in a move that was considered a clear indication of the acceleration of the pace of implementation.
The diplomats also warned that the Israeli government intends, as of June 1, to issue detailed tenders for the development of the targeted area, calling on the EU to preempt this step by taking swift action, especially during the Foreign Affairs Council meeting scheduled for May 11.
The signatories demanded, at a minimum, the imposition of specific sanctions targeting individuals associated with settlement activity, including banning them from entering EU countries, as well as banning their participation in economic activities within the bloc, especially those involved in or supporting the E1 project.
Unprecedented acceleration in settlement
The European message was accompanied by indicators on the ground that confirm a remarkable acceleration in the pace of settlement during the recent period. According to Peace Now, the Israeli government has approved the establishment of 54 new settlements in 2025 alone, the highest number recorded in this context, while the total number it has approved since taking office in 2022 has exceeded the 100 settlement mark.
In this context, the "Haaretz" newspaper revealed that the Israeli government approved, in early May 2026, a budget of more than one billion shekels (about $270 million) for the construction of new settlement roads in the West Bank, with the aim of strengthening the connection between the settlements and developing their infrastructure.
The first phase of the project is scheduled to allocate about NIS 3 million for the preparation of engineering plans and preliminary designs, and will later be submitted to the government for final approval within a period not exceeding 45 days, with additional funding from the Ministry of Finance's budget, without disclosing the targeted sites.
These steps come in light of a government policy led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with the participation of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, which is characterized by the expansion of settlement activity at an unprecedented pace since late 2022.
Escalating violence
Parallel to settlement expansion, human rights reports indicate a sharp escalation in the pace of violence in the West Bank. The Israeli organization Yesh Din documented nearly 400 incidents of assault during the first 40 days of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, including shootings, physical assaults, arson and vandalism of property, as well as livestock theft and other acts.
In an extensive report, the Haaretz newspaper monitored the acceleration of the displacement of Palestinians at an unprecedented pace, noting that these operations are not limited to military intervention, but are also carried out through what it described as a policy of "economic strangulation" and organized intimidation practiced by groups of settlers, under official political cover.
It is noteworthy that there were about 500,000 settlers in the West Bank years ago, bringing the total number of settlers to about 750,000 in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in light of the acceleration of settlement expansion in recent years.