The European Union on Friday urged Israel to immediately halt its planned expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank, warning that recent moves risk deepening instability and undermining any prospect of a negotiated peace, according to Anadolu.
In a sharply worded statement, European Commission spokesperson Anouar El Anouni condemned Israel’s advancement of the long-stalled E1 settlement project, calling it a “serious provocation.” The criticism followed the publication of a tender deadline for 3,401 new housing units under the E1 plan, alongside progress on construction of the so-called “Sovereignty Road,” a key infrastructure project linked to settlement expansion.
The EU also expressed concern over additional settlement initiatives in Atarot and Nahalat Shimon, both located in East Jerusalem, territory the bloc considers occupied under international law.
“Elaborating settlement policy represents an obstacle to peace,” El Anouni said, warning that continued expansion could lead to the displacement of thousands of Palestinians, further fragment the West Bank, and inflame violence by extremist settlers. Such developments, he added, threaten regional stability and further erode the viability of a two-state solution, with Jerusalem envisioned as the future capital of both Israel and a Palestinian state.
The EU called on the Israeli government to reverse what it described as months of accelerated approvals for new settlement projects across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. “Settlements are illegal under international law,” El Anouni said, urging Israel to comply with its legal obligations and to ensure the protection of the Palestinian population living under occupation.
The diplomatic push coincided with high-level outreach aimed at easing tensions in the region. Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said he and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas held a joint phone call Friday with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. In a post on the social media platform X, Kombos emphasized the importance of diplomacy, de-escalation, and safeguarding regional security.
The EU’s intervention comes amid heightened international concern that renewed settlement activity could permanently foreclose a negotiated resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
