EU's von der Leyen joins European countries to condemn Israel's West Bank plan

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday joined European countries to condemn plans by Israel to open up construction tenders for a settlement project called 'E1' in the occupied West Bank. "The Israeli Government's decision to publish construction tenders for the E1 settlement project is unacceptable," she said in a post on X. "We have long opposed this step." France, Germany, Britain and Italy issued on Thursday a joint statement condemning the Israeli project. The Israeli Government’s decision to publish construction tenders for the E1 settlement project is unacceptable. We have long opposed this step. It undermines the two-state solution by dividing the West Bank and breaking the territorial continuity of the Palestinian… pic.twitter.com/oWUTRETYgz — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) August 21, 2026