448 Former European Officials Call for EU Sanctions on Israelis Involved in West Bank E1 Housing Project

An open letter published on April 6 urged the EU to act against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The letter was signed by 448 former European leaders, diplomats, ministers, and senior officials, including Josep Borrell and Guy Verhofstadt. The open letter called for targeted sanctions such as visa bans and business restrictions on all those engaged in illegal settlement activity.

It stated that the EU and its member states together with partners must take immediate action to deter Israel from further advancing its illegal annexation of Palestinian land in the West Bank. The signatories urged the EU and its member states to act now against those promoting or implementing the E1 scheme.

The Israeli government plans to publish an initial tender on June 1 for the construction of housing for up to 15,000 illegal settlers.

The E1 settlement project covers around 12 square kilometres with some 3,400 housing units in the occupied West Bank. It aims to cut the West Bank in two and would further separate East Jerusalem from the West Bank. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich held a map showing the E1 settlement project during a press conference near the settlement of Maale Adumim in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on August 14, 2025.

Excluding East Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements in the occupied West Bank that are illegal under international law, among some three million Palestinians. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. In 2025, the expansion of Israeli settlements reached its highest level since at least 2017, when the United Nations began tracking settlement expansion data.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres's spokesman said the E1 plan would pose an existential threat to a contiguous Palestinian state.

“The EU and its member states, together with partners, must take immediate action to deter Israel from further advancing its illegal annexation of Palestinian land in the West Bank.”

“The plan has been condemned by international leaders, with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres's spokesman saying it would pose an 'existential threat' to a contiguous Palestinian state." — Le Monde reported Le Monde reported that the open letter comes as Israel intends to move forward with E1, a project that has drawn condemnation from international leaders. The letter's signatories include former EU foreign policy head Josep Borrell and former Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt.”