Germany urges 'Israel' to scrap West Bank settlement plan
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Germany urges the Israeli government to halt West Bank settlement expansion, warning that new plans threaten Palestinian mobility and violate international law.
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Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich speaks to journalists during a press conference about new settlement construction in the Israeli-occupied West Bank near Maale Adumim, occupied Palestine, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP)
Germany urged the Israeli government to halt settlement construction in the West Bank after far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that work would begin on a plan to build settlement units in an area of the occupied West Bank.
A spokesperson for Germany’s Foreign Ministry stated in a declaration that the country “firmly rejects the Israeli government’s announcements regarding the approval of thousands of new housing units in Israeli settlements in the West Bank.”
The spokesperson stated that the plans for the E1 settlement project and the expansion of the Ma’ale Adumim settlement would further restrict the mobility of the Palestinian population in the West Bank by splitting it in half and cutting the area off from the eastern part of occupied al-Quds.
Germany had consistently urged the Israeli government to halt settlement construction in the West Bank, as it violated international law and UN Security Council resolutions.
Illegal under international law: OHCHR
Likewise, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights confirmed on Friday that "Israel's" decision to build a new settlement is illegal under international law.
It warned that the plan threatens Palestinians in the area with imminent forced expulsion, which it described as a war crime.
Smotrich says 'Israel' set to expand E1 settlements
Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister of "Israel", approved moving forward with the E1 settlement plan, a controversial construction project that had been delayed for years and would effectively cut off east occupied al-Quds from the remaining parts of the occupied West Bank.
Smotrich declared that "the plan will bury the idea of a Palestinian state," characterizing it as the "final nail in the coffin" for Palestinian statehood.
Smotrich claimed that the plans had been progressing in full coordination with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and "our friends in the United States," stating that "the US administration completely supports our steps in the West Bank."
The announcement drew widespread condemnations from global players, including the European Commission, which asserted that the annexation of West Bank lands is illegal under international law, and reiterated the EU Commission's stance against the displacement and eviction of Palestinians.
