UK Warns Construction Firms: Bid on E1 Settlement Tenders and Face Sanctions
Britain's foreign secretary has told companies they risk legal and reputational damage — and now sanctions — if they help build the controversial E1 project between Jerusalem and Ma'ale Adumim.
The United Kingdom has warned companies and individuals not to bid for construction tenders linked to the E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank, saying those who take part could face British sanctions under new legal powers.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said participation could carry "legal and reputational consequences, including the risk of involving themselves in serious breaches of international law." He added: "I want to be very clear with those considering engaging in the tendering process: we have created new powers allowing us to sanction individuals and companies involved in the construction of illegal settlements such as E1."
The E1 plan would build thousands of housing units on land between Jerusalem and the Ma'ale Adumim settlement, effectively bisecting the West Bank and cutting it off from East Jerusalem. Palestinians and most Western governments say the project would fragment the territory they hope will form the heart of a future state, and could fatally undermine a two-state solution. Israel published tenders for seven residential compounds with 1,234 units as part of a wider plan of roughly 3,400 homes approved last August.
London says it is also preparing legislation to ban imports of goods from illegal settlements and to act against services that finance or facilitate them. "This UK government will not accept the continued displacement of Palestinians and the unlawful occupation that persists," Miliband said — language that signals relations between London and Jerusalem are heading into an even colder stretch.
Source: Reuters — TrendWire reports stories in its own words; facts should be confirmed against the original source.