Israel is significantly expanding settlements and construction in the occupied West Bank, a move that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated is part of a plan to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state. Recent tender announcements for approximately 1,200 new settlement homes in the strategically crucial E1 area, east of Jerusalem, have drawn widespread international condemnation.
International law considers all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank illegal. For decades, Israel had refrained from building in the E1 area due to global pressure. However, following the recent announcement, UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the plans as posing an "existential threat" to a future Palestinian state. A joint statement from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Canada deemed the E1 plans "unacceptable" and warned they would "drive a wedge through the West Bank." The European Union echoed this sentiment.
Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, welcomed the international reaction and called for concrete measures to halt the E1 plan's implementation. The West Bank, along with Gaza and the Golan Heights, was captured by Israel during the 1967 war. Since then, Israel has maintained control and established about 160 settlements housing 700,000 Israelis, despite international law prohibiting settlement in occupied territory.
Recent years have seen a notable increase in building and road construction on Palestinian land occupied by Israel. Maps indicate significant growth in Israeli settlements and outposts across the West Bank between December 2022 and July 2026. New settlement roads are also being constructed or are planned, with data from May 2026 showing seven completed sections and seven under construction. The E1 settlement is located in an area that, if developed, would geographically divide the northern and southern parts of the West Bank, isolating East Jerusalem from the rest of the territory.