Andy Burnham has joined Western allies in condemning Israel’s “unacceptable” plans for a settlement plan.
The Israeli government has sparked outrage this week after it opened up tenders for the construction of a some 1,200 settlement homes on the so-called E1 area of the West Bank.
The project is an attempt by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to end any chance of a Palestinian state as it would effectively divide the West Bank in two and isolating East Jerusalem.
On Wednesday, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the plans were “unacceptable and destructive.”
Now, the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Canada have issued a joint statement echoing this sentiment.
The US did not put their name to the statement.
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The statement shared on Thursday night reads: “The international community has long opposed this settlement expansion and has voiced their grave concerns privately and publicly.”
It added: “International law is clear that Israel settlements in the West Bank are illegal. This is the position of the international community reaffirmed by the United Nations Security Council.
“At a time of grave instability in the West Bank with unprecedented levels of violence by settlers against civilians, and serious restrictions on the Palestinian economy, this decision is even more concerning.”
The leaders warned that the expansion of West Bank settlements would “undermine Israel’s international standing” and made clear there would be “legal and reputational consequences” for any businesses who involved themselves in the construction tenders.
In his statement on Wednesday, Miliband said that “Britain will not stand back and accept the destruction of the two-state solution.”
But the comments were dismissed by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who rejected “outright the statement of the UK foreign secretary and the patronising tone of his words”.
Also on Thursday, Israeli settlers returned to the West Bank settlement of Kadim, two decades after it was closed by the previous Israeli government.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government has driven a surge in Jewish nationalism. Since Netanyahu took power in 2022, the government has approved more than 100 new settlements across the West Bank, including 19 in the northern West Bank.
All Israeli settlements and settler outposts are illegal under international law. Outposts are also illegal under Israeli law, though are often supported by state services and funding.
Since Israel first occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem – areas reserved for a future Palestinian state – some 160 settlements have been built for around 700,000 people.