David Lammy is among 20 foreign ministers worldwide in criticizing Israeli plans to construct an unauthorized settlement on the West Bank, prompting the Foreign Office to recall the Israeli ambassador to express the government’s discontent.
On Thursday, the foreign secretary joined a joint statement condemning the so-called E1 project, a settlement aiming for 3,400 homes, which critics argue would halve the West Bank.
The officials then summoned Tzipi Hotovely to the Foreign Office in a rare public censure, intensifying the international criticism against Israel’s policies in Gaza and the West Bank.
The 21-country statement, including the UK, Australia, Canada, and France, characterized the E1 plan approval “unacceptable and a breach of international law,” calling for its immediate reversal in the strongest terms.
In a separate statement, the Foreign Office confirmed they had summoned Hotovely for a public admonishment. Labeling the settlement plans as a “flagrant violation of international law,” they warned it could bisect a future Palestinian state and critically undermine the two-state solution.
The particulars of the encounter and Hotovely’s response remain undisclosed, with the Israeli embassy offering no comment.
Israel announced its approval for a substantial new settlement in the West Bank on Wednesday, with far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich stating the aim is to thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Smotrich hailed the settlement plan approval as a “significant step” that eliminates the “two-state illusion” and strengthens Jewish hold over the core of Israel’s land.
The E1 proposals would extend the Ma’ale Adumim settlement toward Jerusalem, further separating occupied East Jerusalem from the West Bank and fragmenting the territory’s north and south.
The foreign ministers’ statement accused Smotrich of facilitating an impossible two-state solution by dividing Palestine and hindering Palestinians’ access to Jerusalem, suggesting no benefits for the Israeli people but increased security risks and instability.
British officials claim Israel’s continuous West Bank expansion is pivotal in their consideration to recognize Palestine as an independent state. Labour leader Keir Starmer stated he would formally recognize Palestine if Israel commits to a ceasefire and a two-state solution by September’s UN general assembly.
There is also widespread condemnation of Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City, with the UN’s Miroslav Jenča warning it would lead to “forced displacement, killings, and destruction”.
The Israel Defense Forces have been ordered by Benjamin Netanyahu to expedite an assault on Gaza City, a move already causing thousands of Palestinians to flee.
The UK is among 27 countries that signed a separate statement from the Media Freedom Coalition, urging Israel to provide immediate access for international journalists to cover the situation in Gaza.
