How Israel is expanding settlements in drive to reshape West Bank

Israel opened bidding for the construction of more than 1,200 settlement homes in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank, a strategically sensitive location, ahead of the country's October elections. The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and other countries issued a joint statement calling the move unacceptable and urging Israel to retract the plans, warning it would threaten the territorial contiguity of Palestinian areas amid what they described as unprecedented levels of settler violence. UN officials also warned the project poses an existential threat to a future two-state solution, while the settlements themselves are considered illegal under international law.