European nations condemn major Israeli settlement plans in West Bank

Major European powers France, Italy, the UK and Germany have condemned Israeli moves to develop a controversial settlement in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli plans to press ahead with E1, as it is known, would effectively break the West Bank in two and make Palestinian statehood impossible, according to critics of the project.

One Israeli government minister previously said the plans would "bury" the idea of a Palestinian state.

France, Italy, Britain and Germany have jointly condemned a major settlement project in the West Bank and called on Israel to end settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The joint statement by the major European powers came after the Israeli government announced it would open up construction tenders for a residential property project called E1 in the occupied West Bank.

"At a time of grave instability in the West Bank with unprecedented levels of violence by settlers against civilians, and serious restrictions on the Palestinian economy, this decision is even more concerning," the countries said in a joint statement.

They urged Israel "to retract these plans immediately and end its expansion of settlements in the West Bank".

"The decision by the Israeli government to publish bid offers for construction projects within the framework of the E1 settlers' project is unacceptable."

Plans to develop the E1 project, a 12-square-kilometre area on the outskirts of Jerusalem, are decades old but never been formally proceeded with.

However, the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas revived Israeli ambitions.

The development would kick the local Bedouin community out and replace it with 3,401 homes and a new road.

In January this year the Israeli government announced plans to start construction, and authorities opened bidding to construct more than 1,200 homes in the area this week.

UK Foreign Minister David Miliband said he delivered the joint message directly to his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar.

Mr Saar then responded publicly on social media site X, saying he rejected "outright" Mr Miliband's statement and "the patronising tone of his words".