About 500 former European officials urge EU to act against West Bank settlements and E1 project

Centre · 2Around 500 former European diplomats, ministers and officials called on the European Union and its member states on Monday 5 October to act against Israel's settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. 1 2 Centre · 1The open letter, cited by Belga news agency, focuses on Israel's planned E1 settlement project near Jerusalem, which Anadolu says envisages more than 1,200 housing units. The signatories say it would divide the West Bank in two, isolate occupied East Jerusalem and undermine the prospects of a two-state solution. 1 Centre · 2Signatories named in the coverage include former French prime ministers Dominique de Villepin and Alain Juppe, former Italian prime minister Massimo D'Alema and former Swedish prime minister Stefan Lofven. Anadolu also names former Belgian prime minister Yves Leterme, and The National names former EU foreign affairs chief and ex-Spanish foreign minister Josep Borrell. 1 2

Centre · 2They asked the European Commission to "show leadership" and put forward legislative proposals to sanction financial institutions and other service providers involved in E1 and other settlements illegal under international law. Anadolu adds that they also urged the EU to prevent all trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. 2 1 Centre · 2The letter says the EU has "taken no measures to deter E1". It says that while some member states have adopted national measures, others, including Germany and Italy, systematically block EU-level action and are thereby "de facto complicit" in undermining EU values and the two-state solution. 1 2 Centre · 1The National reports that the Commission has resisted calls this year to propose a ban on trade with illegal settlements. It says division among member states and Commission inertia have limited the EU's influence, and that pressure is growing as Israel's deadline to award the first E1 contracts approaches. 2

Centre · 1Some states have acted alone. According to The National, France last month joined a UK-led group of European states to stop trade in goods with settlements. Spain and the Netherlands include some services in their measures, while others limit the ban to goods, and only the UK has said it would work on a sanctions regime. In May, a dozen countries including the UK, Canada, France, Germany and Italy warned businesses of "legal and reputational consequences" if they took part in the E1 bid. 2 Centre · 1The National says these moves have angered the Israeli government, which recently expelled Dutch diplomats serving in Ramallah. It also reports that a UN list of companies doing business with West Bank settlements grew by a third this year to 214 companies from 11 countries, including Airbnb and Expedia. 2 Centre · 1The letter also refers to Gaza. It says more than 200 children have been killed since last year's US-brokered ceasefire, and that there has been no disarmament or Israeli withdrawal, reconstruction is blocked, and the 'Board of Peace' plans are "passive and stillborn". 2

Centre · 2The timing is tied to upcoming EU meetings: the bloc's 27 foreign ministers meet next week in Luxembourg, and EU leaders are due to discuss the Middle East at a Brussels summit on 15-16 October. Anadolu notes that calls to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement have persisted. 2 1