AssetID: 55931562
Headline: UNCAPTIONED: UK Condemns Israel Over New West Bank Settlement Plans
Caption: Britain has condemned Israel’s decision to move ahead with a controversial settlement project in the occupied West Bank, prompting a diplomatic clash between Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and the Israeli government. The Israeli government has invited construction companies to bid for contracts to build around 1,200 homes in the E1 area, east of Jerusalem, a project that has long drawn international opposition. Miliband said the development would further undermine the prospects for a viable Palestinian state and called on Israel to halt the plans, withdraw the tender and stop the expansion. The British government subsequently summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires to formally register its objections to the move. The E1 project is particularly contentious because construction there could create a continuous built-up area between Jerusalem and the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim. The plans risk fragmenting the West Bank and making a future Palestinian state more difficult to establish. Israel’s latest move comes amid a broader acceleration of settlement construction and other measures that critics say are strengthening Israeli control over the occupied territory. The Israeli government has yet to reverse the tender, leaving the issue as another point of friction between the two countries over the future of the West Bank and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Instructions: THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT
Keywords: Current Affairs & Politics,Ed Miliband,foreign office,Israel,settlements,West Bank,illegal,E1,contentious,barrier,Palestinian state,Jerusalem,Benjamin Netanyahu,formal protest,condemn,plans
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