Melike Pala
06 May 2026•Update: 06 May 2026
Over 400 former European Union ministers, ambassadors and senior officials have called on EU institutions and member states to take action to deter Israel from advancing an illegal settlement project in the occupied West Bank, according to a letter.
The signatories urged EU countries to impose targeted sanctions on individuals and entities involved in settlement activities, including politicians, settler leaders, Israeli land and municipal authorities, as well as professionals and institutions such as planners, lawyers, architects, engineers, developers, contractors, banks and financial bodies, RTE reported on Wednesday.
The proposed sanctions would include visa bans and restrictions on conducting business within the European Union, the letter said.
The E1 project has faced widespread international criticism for years over concerns it would undermine the territorial continuity of a future Palestinian state.
Last week, the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission said Israel carried out 37 demolition operations in the occupied West Bank during April, affecting 78 Palestinian structures, including homes, agricultural facilities and sources of livelihood.
According to Palestinian officials, Israel approved the E1 master plan in 1999 on approximately 12,000 dunams of confiscated Palestinian land, with later plans including settlement units, industrial zones, hotels and public parks.
Although Israeli governments repeatedly advanced the project, parts of it were frozen under international pressure, including plans announced in 2020 for 3,500 settlement units.
The signatories said the move comes despite years of diplomatic engagement by the EU and other countries aimed at preventing what they describe as the illegal acquisition of Palestinian land.
"The EU and its Member States must act now -- including at the Foreign Affairs Council of 11th May -- to oppose, together with partners, Israeli illegal settlement actions, notably those in the E1 area," they said.
Among the signatories are former senior European officials and political figures, including former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt and former Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven.
