Government condemns Israeli West Bank settlement plan

The Netherlands has joined six other governments in condemning Israel’s decision to open bidding on a major settlement project in the occupied West Bank, and called on the Netanyahu regime to withdraw the plans immediately.

Prime minister Rob Jetten and the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Norway called the project “unacceptable” in a joint statement, and said they have “grave concerns” over the potential impact it could have on achieving peace in the region, particularly amid “unprecedented levels of violence by settlers against civilians.”

Israel’s construction and housing ministry opened bidding on Tuesday for 1,234 homes, part of a wider plan for 3,401 settler homes in E1, an area east of Jerusalem. Contractors have until October 19 to bid, a week before Israeli elections.

Critics say the project would split the West Bank in two and cut East Jerusalem off from it, making a contiguous Palestinian state impossible.

The condemnation comes as the Netherlands prepares to enforce its own ban on settlement goods, which takes effect on September 22. The three-year measure bars the import, sale and trade of goods from illegal settlements in the occupied territories.

The Netherlands is also the main EU entry point for produce grown in Israeli settlements, according to research published in June, handling around a third of such shipments reaching the bloc.

Settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law. The E1 plan, approved last year, faces a legal challenge in Israel, where a court has asked the state to respond to the petitions by September 1.