West Warns Settlement Push Threatens Two-State Path and International Law
A coalition of Western leaders from Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Britain issued a joint statement opposing Israel’s settlement expansion in the West Bank, warning that projects like the E1 plan would split Judea and Samaria and violate international law, and calling for halting construction, investigating alleged settler violence and security-forces abuses, respecting the Hashemite custodianship of Al‑Aqsa and the status quo, and lifting Palestinian financial restrictions as part of their support for a two-state solution. The statement also noted potential legal consequences for leaders involved in settlement activities and referenced Bezalel Smotrich’s announced Bedouin-outpost demolition tied to E1.
