Doha, August 21 (QNA) - International warnings and condemnations have intensified against Israel's settlement policy in the occupied West Bank following its announcement of a tender to construct 1,234 settlement units east of occupied Jerusalem, a move that seeks to impose new realities on the ground and threatens to undermine the chances of establishing a geographically contiguous Palestinian state.

 In response to these plans, Britain, through Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, condemned the Israeli tender on Thursday, deeming it unacceptable and destructive. Miliband warned of its repercussions on the two-state solution, summoned the Israeli charge d'affaires, and demanded the withdrawal of the tender and a halt to all forms of settlement expansion. 

British actions were not limited to condemnation. London pledged to take a comprehensive range of measures in the coming weeks, including imposing sanctions on those involved in settlement expansion, with Miliband affirming that his country would not stand idly by or accept the destruction of the two-state solution. 

In parallel with the British position, international reactions to the Israeli measure intensified, most notably a warning from UN Secretary-General António Guterres that the plan threatens the viability of a fully independent, sovereign, and geographically contiguous Palestinian state.

Last Tuesday, the Israeli entity issued a tender for the construction of 1,234 settlement units east of occupied Jerusalem, setting October 19 as the deadline for submitting bids. The Jerusalem Governorate considered the tender part of the E1 plan, which aims to establish a colonial extension between Jerusalem and the Ma'ale Adumim settlement.

It warned that implementing the plan would reshape the area surrounding Jerusalem and impose a system of roads and infrastructure to serve colonial expansion while creating alternative routes for Palestinian movement. 

The governorate stressed that proceeding with this step would deepen the isolation of East Jerusalem from its surrounding areas in the West Bank and increase pressure on Palestinian and Bedouin communities near Issawiya, Anata, Al-Za'im, Al-Eizariya, Khan al-Ahmar, Jabal al-Baba, and Wadi al-Jamal, which already face restrictions on construction, demolitions, and land access.This tender comes within the context of a large Israeli settlement project in the West Bank called E1, located in Area C under Israeli control.

The plan extends between the settlements of Ma'ale Adumim and Pisgat Ze'ev, covering an area of approximately 12 square kilometers between the towns of Anata, Issawiya, Al-Za'im, Al-Eizariya, and Abu Dis. 

The Israeli plan aims to build 3,400 settlement units in the West Bank to effectively bisect the West Bank and prevent the establishment of a viable Palestinian state.  Implementing the plan involves several measures, most notably the confiscation of vast areas of Palestinian land, the demolition of Palestinian homes and structures, the forced displacement of Palestinian communities residing on the eastern slopes and in the Jordan Valley, and preventing landowners within the plan's boundaries from accessing and cultivating their land.

It also includes constructing new settlement neighborhoods, such as Mevaseret Adumim neighborhood comprising more than 3,000 settlement units.The plan's scope extends even further, aiming to establish "Greater Jerusalem" encompassing 600 square kilometers, equivalent to 10 percent of the West Bank.

Indicating the expansion of settlement activity, a report issued by the European External Action Service (EEAS) and published by the office of the European Union representative in the West Bank and Gaza revealed that the Israeli government approved the establishment of 54 new official settlements in the West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem, during 2025, the highest number recorded in a single year, in addition to establishing 86 new settlement outposts at a rate of one to two outposts per week. 

The report by the EEAS stated that between January and December 2025, the Israeli entity approved plans for 63,311 settlement units in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem. Of these, 27,941 units were in the West Bank, and 35,370 units were planned for 56 locations in East Jerusalem. The report noted that while these plans were not fully implemented, they represent the highest annual level of settlement planning on record.

In parallel, the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission (CWRC) observed increased settlement activity during the first half of 2026. According to the commission, settlers established 42 new settlement outposts, including four in Area B, which is under Palestinian Civil Administration according to the Oslo Accords.

The commission stated that during the same period, the occupation authorities studied 113 structural plans for expanding existing settlements or establishing new ones, including 71 plans in the West Bank and 42 in Jerusalem. This aims to seize more than 14,000 dunams of Palestinian land and approve thousands of settlement units.

This expansion comes amidst the growing influence of the extreme Israeli right wing and its dominance over power in the Israeli entity. A coalition of extremist nationalist and religious Jewish parties controls the government and seeks to entrench settlement policies and eliminate the peace process.

Extremely radical settler groups and organizations are actively working to solidify the settlement presence, force Palestinians to leave their lands, and thwart any political process that could limit settlement expansion by imposing new facts on the ground that will be difficult to reverse in the future.

Among the most prominent of these groups is the so-called Hilltop Youth, active in the West Bank. This decentralized organization comprises young Jewish men between fifteen and twenty years old who reside in settlement outposts and pastoral farms scattered across hilltops, directly involved in their expansion and protection.

These Israeli settlement policies, particularly the E1 project, have sparked widespread international condemnation. The European Union and Arab and Islamic states have opposed them, while the United States has expressed reservations. The Palestinian Authority has described them as a war against the two-state solution and a systematic end to any future peace process.

In 2025, 21 countries, including Britain and France, joined in condemning the project, demanding that Israel abandon it as a violation of international law.

Palestinians face severe restrictions on their movement in the occupied West Bank. Israel maintains checkpoints that prevent Palestinians from traveling within the West Bank or entering East Jerusalem without passing through them.

Outside East Jerusalem, some three million Palestinians live in the West Bank, alongside approximately 500,000 Israelis living in settlements that the United Nations considers illegal under international law.

Palestinians in the West Bank suffer under a siege imposed by Israeli authorities through raids and arrests, as well as a policy of land confiscation for settlement construction, aided by extremist Israeli groups and organizations that perpetrate organized violence against Palestinians. (QNA)