European Calls for Sanctions Against Israel Over the "E1" Settlement Plan in the West Bank

SadaNews - More than 400 former European ministers, ambassadors, and officials sent an open letter on Wednesday to EU leaders, urging them to "act now" against the illegal annexation being carried out by Israel in the occupied West Bank through the E1 project, which aims to build thousands of settlement units. The letter, signed by 448 former European officials, including former Deputy Prime Minister of the European Commission Josep Borrell and former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, states that "the European Union and its member states, in cooperation with their partners, must take immediate steps to deter Israel from continuing its illegal annexation of Palestinian lands in the West Bank." According to the letter, Israel approved the E1 project in August 2025, which would divide the occupied West Bank into two parts, thereby undermining any future possibility for a geographically cohesive Palestinian state. Additionally, Israel had issued a tender in December to build 3,400 settlement units over an area of 12 square kilometers in East Jerusalem. The letter points out that the United Nations, the European Union, and many international leaders have previously called on Israel to retract this project. The signatories warn that "the Israeli government intends to issue detailed tenders for developing the area covered by the E1 project on June 1." For this reason, they emphasized that "the European Union and its member states must take action now, especially during the Foreign Affairs Council meeting on May 11." The signatories also believe that "the European Union, at a minimum, is required to impose targeted sanctions, including visa bans and prohibiting business activities within the European Union, on all individuals involved in illegal settlement operations, particularly those promoting, participating in, and implementing the E1 project tenders." Data in the letter indicate that Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and more than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank (excluding East Jerusalem) in settlements that the United Nations considers illegal under international law, amidst around three million Palestinians. Moreover, the organization "Peace Now" states that the current Israeli government has accelerated the pace of settlement expansion, as it approved the construction of 54 settlements in 2025—a record number—while more than 100 settlements have been approved since this government took office in 2022.