The United States does not support Israeli annexation of the Judea and Samaria region, a State Department spokesperson told Axios on Friday in response to Israel's decision to advance construction plans in the E1 area between Jerusalem and Ma'ale Adumim.
"As the President has clearly stated, the US does not support Israel annexing the West Bank. A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this Administration’s goal to achieve peace in the region," the spokesperson told Axios.
Israel issued a tender on Tuesday for seven residential compounds in E1, comprising 1,234 housing units. The projects are part of approximately 3,400 housing units approved for the area last August.
The announcement has drawn criticism from several European governments. Britain's Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband called for the tender to be withdrawn on Wednesday.
“This Israeli Government’s publication of a tender for the E1 settlement project is an unacceptable and destructive act. E1 would cut across the heart of Palestine and risks separating the West Bank from East Jerusalem, which would endanger the viability of a two-state solution," Miliband said in a statement condemning the move.
"The UK has been clear privately and publicly in our opposition to E1 and our support for a two-state solution as the only way to ensure long-term security and peace for both Palestinians and Israelis. All settlements damage that prospect and are a flagrant breach of international law," he claimed.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar rejected London's position on Thursday, accusing Miliband of adopting a patronizing tone.
"I reject outright the statement of the UK Foreign Secretary and the patronizing tone of his words," Sa'ar wrote on social media.
"The Jewish people have the right to live throughout the Land of Israel, just as the British have the right to live in London and throughout the United Kingdom. More than a century ago, the Balfour Declaration formally recognized the historic right of the Jewish people to re-establish their national home in the Land of Israel - including in the area in question."
Britain later joined France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada and Norway in condemning the E1 tender. The seven countries described the plans as "unacceptable" and called on Israel to withdraw them immediately.
"The E1 settlement will undermine the prospect of the two-state solution by driving a wedge through the West Bank and harming the territorial contiguity of the Palestinian Territories," the statement said.
"We urge the Government of Israel to retract these plans immediately and end its expansion of settlements," the statement said.
