France Urges Israel to Abandon West Bank Settlement Plan

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on Israel to abandon its plans to construct a new settlement in the occupied West Bank. France condemned the decision of the Israeli authorities to approve the E1 settlement plan, which provides for the construction of over 3,000 homes east of Jerusalem.

The far-right Israeli Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, requested that the program for the construction of 3,400 homes in the West Bank be accelerated and that the Palestinian territory be annexed, in response to announcements by countries that they will recognize a Palestinian state.

France emphasizes that the implementation of this settlement plan would bisect the West Bank and severely undermine the two-state solution. It also states that it remains active alongside its European partners to increase pressure on Israel to end settlement construction, including through new sanctions.

Amid the ongoing Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, countries such as France, the United Kingdom, and Canada are considering recognizing a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September.