Israeli soldiers sit under a tent in front of the home of Ohio-based Palestinian American landlord Loui Ridi, which has been besieged by Israeli settlers for over a week, in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra, south of Nablus, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. Andy Burnham has joined his allies in slamming Israel’s “unacceptable” settlement plan for the West Bank.
The prime minister and his counterparts in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Canada accused Israel of trying to “undermine the prospect of a two-state solution”.
Israel has opened up bids for the construction of 1,200 settlement homes in a strategically significant part of the occupied West Bank in an attempt to end any future hopes of a Palestinian state.
This plan to build on “E1”, an area east of Jerusalem, has been highly controversial for years and seen as a breach of international law.
The idea would split the West Bank into two and isolate East Jerusalem.
In a joint statement issued on Thursday night, allied leaders said: “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 urged Israel to drop the plans and end its expansion of West Bank settlements, warning: “Not only will they take us further from peace, but they further undermine Israel’s international standing.”
They also discouraged any businesses to bid for settlements because of the legal and reputational risks.
Joint statement from the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway and Canada. pic.twitter.com/eoVzRYAwHV
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) August 20, 2026Foreign secretary Ed Miliband had already criticised the publication of a tender as an “unacceptable and destructive act” on Thursday, calling on Israel to halt plans immediately.
Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar said he rejected “outright the statement of the UK foreign secretary and the patronising tone of his words”.
He claimed: “The UK government’s systematic policy of blaming only Israel while ignoring Palestinian extremism has already contributed to a massive wave of antisemitic hatred and attacks against the British Jewish community.”
He added: “The UK government’s decision to damage the relationship between our countries is deeply unfortunate. But Israel will not be a passive victim of this policy. Israel will defend its rights, its interests and its people.”
Israel has built approximately 160 settlements for 700,000 Jewish people since it first occupied two areas reserved for a future Palestinian state – the West Bank and East Jerusalem – in 1967.
Keir Starmer’s government formally recognised the Palestinian state last September.
Miliband said in his statement that the UK will set out a “comprehensive set of measures” in coming weeks to respond to Israeli government policies to protect the viability of the Palestinian state.
The chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Emily Thornberry also Sky News that she had spoken to the prime minister, along with Miliband, about the calls to ban trade with Israel, saying the government “must take action.”
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