Britain bans West Bank settlement goods as Israel pushes E1 project — SkimNews
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- Britain banned imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, following a 2024 International Court of Justice advisory opinion declaring settlements illegal, with similar measures matched by Canada, France, Ireland, and Spain.
- Israel is advancing the E1 settlement bloc on Jerusalem's outskirts, which would link the Maale Adumim settlement to East Jerusalem, isolate East Jerusalem from Ramallah and Bethlehem, and displace Palestinians including residents of Khan al-Ahmar ordered evacuated in May 2026.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in September 2025 that the E1 project fulfills 'our promise that there will be no Palestinian state,' while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said E1 would 'bury the idea of a Palestinian state.'
- Israel granted final planning approval in August 2025 for more than 3,400 housing units at E1 and issued first construction tenders in August 2026 for 1,200 residential units, with bidding closing October 19 — eight days before Israel's October 27 elections.
- Settlement expansion has surged over four years, with Peace Now reporting more than 102 new settlements approved since 2022 and the UN saying over 6,400 Palestinians have been displaced in the West Bank since January 2023, including at least 2,500 in 2026.
- Israel has expanded control beyond the West Bank since the October 2023 Hamas attacks, including a buffer zone in southern Lebanon, further incursions into Syria after Bashar al-Assad's fall, and control of at least 60 percent of Gaza, with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir renewing calls to expel Gaza's 2 million Palestinians.
Why it matters: Britain's ban is timed deliberately — construction tenders for E1's first 1,200 units close October 19, eight days before Israel's October 27 elections, meaning the sanctions are designed to discourage companies from bidding on a project Netanyahu has openly tied to killing the two-state solution. With 700,000+ settlers already in the West Bank and 102 new ones approved since 2022, E1 is the specific lever that would sever East Jerusalem from the rest of Palestinian territory.
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