RAMALLAH, May 6, 2026 (WAFA) – More than 400 former European ministers, ambassadors, and officials, in an open letter addressed Wednesday to EU leaders, called for immediate action to halt the annexation plan being pursued by Israeli authorities in the West Bank through the settlement project known as "E1," which plans to construct thousands of settlement units.
According to the German Press Agency (dpa), the letter was signed by 448 prominent European figures, including former Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell and former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt.
The signatories stressed that "the European Union and its member states, in cooperation with their partners, are required to take urgent steps to deter Israel from continuing its illegal annexation of Palestinian territory in the West Bank."
Israeli authorities approved the "E1" settlement project in August 2025. This project is expected to divide the West Bank into two separate parts, posing a direct threat to the territorial contiguity of any future Palestinian state.
In a related development, in December of the same year, Israel issued a tender for the construction of approximately 3,400 settlement units on an area estimated at 12 square kilometers east of Jerusalem.
The signatories emphasized that "the Israeli government intends to issue detailed tenders for the development of the area covered by the project on June 1st," calling on the European Union to take swift action, particularly during the Foreign Affairs Council meeting scheduled for May 11th.
At a minimum, the signatories demanded targeted sanctions, including visa bans on all individuals involved in settlement activity, and preventing them from engaging in business activities within the European Union, especially those who support or participate in the tenders or implement the E1 settlement plan.
The pace of settlement expansion has accelerated significantly under the current Israeli government, which has approved the construction of 54 settlements by 2025, a record number according to the Peace Now organization. Since taking office in 2022, it has also approved more than 100 settlements.
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