Bethlehem / PNN /
Western countries have warned construction companies that they could face sanctions if they bid on settlement construction tenders in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank, which Israel is expected to publish early next month.
In a joint statement issued late last week, Italy, Britain, France, Germany, Norway, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands called on construction firms not to participate in tenders for settlement housing units in the E1 area.
Israeli settlement watchdog group Peace Now said the Israeli government has accelerated efforts over the past year to establish a new settlement in E1, including plans for 3,401 housing units, consolidating control over an area estimated at around 3% of the West Bank and displacing Palestinians from it.
The group said the project would deliver a “fatal blow” to prospects for a peace agreement and a Palestinian state because it would divide the West Bank and block Palestinian urban development in its central areas.
The Western countries also warned construction companies considering participation in the tenders that they should be aware of the legal consequences of involvement in the settlement project. The statement said that “settlement development in E1 would split the West Bank in two and constitutes a serious violation of international law.”
The E1 area covers around 12 square kilometres and was annexed by Israeli authorities to the jurisdiction of the settlement of Ma'ale Adumim. Israeli authorities approved the settlement construction plan in August last year, published the tender in December, and construction companies are expected to submit bids at the beginning of June.
Israeli Finance Minister and minister responsible for settlement affairs within the Defence Ministry, Bezalel Smotrich, said after the approval of the settlement plan that “the Palestinian state has been erased, not through slogans but through actions.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for “completing the process and imposing full Israeli sovereignty” over the West Bank.
Last week, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court requested arrest warrants against Smotrich, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Settlement Minister Orit Strock, and two Israeli army officers. The request would add to the arrest warrants already issued by the court against Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on accusations of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the war in Gaza.