European Council warns companies not to finance Israel's E1 West Bank settlement construction

The European Council has warned companies they could face "legal, economic and reputational consequences" if they involve themselves with East 1 (East 1) settlement construction in the Israeli -occupied West Bank. The major intervention on Friday, from the body that determines the European Union's political direction, came just days before the 19 October deadline for bids in one of the E1 settlement construction tenders. The Israeli government's E1 settlement plan involves building thousands of new housing units between Jerusalem and the existing West Bank settlement of Maale Adumim, 7km east of the city.