EU council urges Israel to reverse settlement expansion, warns firms against bidding for E1 tenders

The European Council, the body that decides the European Union’s general policy direction, urges Israel to reverse decisions to expand settlements and warns businesses and financial institutions against bidding for tenders in the controversial E1 settlement project.

In the conclusions of its meeting published yesterday, “The European Council urges Israel to immediately reverse the expansion of settlements, which are illegal under international law, including by withdrawing its tender for construction in the E1 area.

“It reiterates that businesses should not bid for construction contracts for E1 or other settlement developments and underlines the legal, economic and reputational consequences for businesses and financial institutions participating in settlement construction, including the risk of serious breaches of international law,” it says.

Bidding on E1 tenders is expected to close on October 19.

The E1 project would see thousands of housing units built as an extension of the Ma’ale Adumim city-settlement, between the existing western boundaries of Ma’ale Adumim and East Jerusalem, cutting off territorial contiguity between key Palestinian population centers, including Ramallah, East Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

The Palestinians and many Western governments say the project would effectively torpedo the possibility of a contiguous Palestinian state in the West Bank.