UK Threatens Sanctions Over Israeli West Bank Settlement Expansion

UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband condemned Israel's publication of a tender for the E1 settlement project in the West Bank on Wednesday, calling it an unacceptable and destructive act.

Miliband stated the project risks separating the West Bank from East Jerusalem, endangering the viability of a two-state solution, and constitutes a flagrant breach of international law. The UK Foreign Office summoned Israel's charge d'affaires to convey its profound objection and demanded Israel immediately halt E1 plans, retract the tender, and stop all settlement expansion.

Miliband announced the UK will prepare targeted sanctions against individuals involved in illegal settlement expansion and will set out a broader package of measures in the coming weeks. Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar rejected outright Miliband's statement and its patronizing tone. Sa'ar asserted the Jewish people have the right to live throughout the Land of Israel.

Israel opened tenders for the construction of some 1,200 settlement homes in the E1 area, east of Jerusalem. The E1 project involves marketing the first 1,400 housing units, part of a larger plan for 3,412 homes between Jerusalem and Ma'aleh Adumim. The Civil Administration's Higher Planning Committee approved the project in August 2025. Plans to build in the E1 area have been under consideration for over two decades and are internationally condemned.

Settlement expansion has risen sharply since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in late 2022. The International Court of Justice ruled in July 2024 that Israel's presence in occupied Palestinian territories was illegal. The UK government has not responded to this ruling for over two years.