Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Friday, August 21, 2026
From the Liveblog of
Friday, August 21, 2026
EU chief joins European countries to condemn Israel’s E1 settlement plan
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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a media conference regarding energy at EU headquarters in Brussels, Monday, April 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen joins European countries in condemning plans by Israel to open up construction tenders for settlement homes in the controversial E1 area of the West Bank.
“The Israeli Government’s decision to publish construction tenders for the E1 settlement project is unacceptable,” she says in a post on X. “We have long opposed this step.”
A growing number of European and Middle Eastern countries have condemned the plan, which would connect the Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim areas, effectively scuttling the prospect of contiguous Palestinian statehood between the population centers of Bethlehem, East Jerusalem and Ramallah.
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