Shafaq News- Brussels

Belgium on Friday renewed its opposition to Israel’s E1 settlement project in the West Bank, calling the decision to advance construction tenders “unacceptable” and warning that it threatens prospects for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said the move runs contrary to international law and undermines the chances of a peaceful and lasting two-state solution.

“The settlements are illegal.”

🇵🇸🇮🇱 (EN/FR/NL) Belgium joins the countries that find it unacceptable that the Israeli authorities have taken a decision contrary to international law, a decision that jeopardizes the hope for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The settlements are illegal. Our government…

— Maxime PREVOT (@prevotmaxime) August 21, 2026

Belgium was among 11 governments that signed a joint statement urging Israel to withdraw the E1 tenders and halt settlement expansion. Australia, Germany, Canada, France, Italy, Norway, New Zealand, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Sweden also signed the statement, warning that E1 would divide the West Bank and undermine the territorial continuity of a future Palestinian state.

Israel opened bidding on August 18 for 1,234 housing units in E1, part of 3,401 homes planned for the project. The roughly 12-square-kilometer area lies between occupied East Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim. Israeli rights groups Ir Amim, Bimkom and Peace Now, together with Palestinian residents, filed an urgent petition seeking to freeze the tender while legal challenges remain pending.

E1 has faced international opposition for decades over concerns that construction there would disrupt Palestinian links between the northern and southern West Bank and further isolate East Jerusalem. The UN Security Council and most of the international community consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, a position Israel disputes.