Western powers condemn Israel over East Jerusalem settlement expansion

In a strong rebuke, the U.K., Germany, Australia and other Western powers slammed Israel for pushing ahead with a major settlement near East Jerusalem. Palestinians walk along the separation barrier between the West Bank and east Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina, Sunday Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) (CN) — Western powers excluding the United States forcefully condemned Israel on Friday for pushing ahead with an illegal Jewish settlement next to East Jerusalem. They demanded the Israeli government uphold a two-state solution. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Labour’s new leader, spearheaded the signing of a joint statement denouncing Israel for commencing construction of more than 1,000 homes outside East Jerusalem in a move that is further eating away at Palestinian territory near the old capital. “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 leaders said in the statement . Western governments have refrained from taking meaningful action to sanction or punish Israel for its violations of international law against its Arab neighbors. But the strong rebuke suggests the tide may be turning. Attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers and security forces have escalated in recent months, becoming more organized and lethal. Palestinian homes, towns and olive groves have come under assault in the West Bank. Numerous fatalities and injuries have been reported in the West Bank this year. Friday’s statement was prompted by an Israeli announcement earlier this week seeking construction bids for the so-called E1 (East 1) West Bank settlement. E1 would take yet more land from Palestine, cutting East Jerusalem off from the Palestinian-controlled West Bank. Since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel, Israeli forces have seized and occupied parts of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Syria and Lebanon that were not previously under Israeli control. At the same time, Jewish settlers have sought to expand their presence. In their statement, Western powers called on Israel “to retract these plans immediately and end its expansion of settlements in the West Bank.” They stressed that under international law, these settlements are illegal. “Not only will they take us further from peace, but they further undermine Israel’s international standing,” the leaders said. “Businesses should not consider bidding for construction tenders.” The warning comes as calls grow across Europe and the West to mete out tougher sanctions and even initiate boycotts against Israel. The leaders who signed onto the statement said they remained committed “to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution.” They warned the E1 settlement would “undermine the prospect of the two-state solution by driving a wedge through the West Bank and harming the territorial contiguity of the Palestinian Territories.” Issued late Thursday, Burnham’s statement by Friday had won the backing of Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand , Norway and Sweden. Socialist Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who has become one of the West’s most vocal critics of Israeli onslaughts against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, issued a separate and more stinging condemnation. With backing from the United States , Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defied an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court and snubbed his nose at critics. Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has backed the E1 settlement as a way to “bury the concept of a Palestinian state.” In tandem with denouncing the E1 settlement, Western powers slammed as “shameful” Israel’s decision to end an investigation into Israeli military drone attacks in April 2024 that killed seven World Central Kitchen humanitarian workers in Gaza. “Announci