France, Germany, Italy and Canada condemn Israel's West Bank settlement project

France, Germany, Italy and Canada joined the UK in condemning Israel’s plan to open tenders for about 1,200 settlement homes in E1, a strategically important area of the occupied West Bank east of Jerusalem. In a joint statement published Thursday, the five countries called the decision “unacceptable” and urged Israel to “retract the plans immediately,” arguing that settlements violate international law. They warned the move could deal a major blow to hopes for a two-state solution by effectively cutting the West Bank and isolating east Jerusalem, amid heightened settler violence and restrictions on the Palestinian economy. The UN secretary-general also said the E1 plan posed an “existential threat” to a contiguous Palestinian state.