Israel’s Foreign Ministry Rejects UK Account of E1 Assurance Before Election

Three British officials familiar with an August 11 call said they understood Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar had promised Israel would not advance E1 construction tenders before the October 27 election. Israel’s Foreign Ministry rejected that account, saying Sa’ar promised only that no physical change would occur before the election and noted the plan had been approved more than a year earlier. Israel issued tenders a week later for seven compounds totaling 1,234 homes east of Jerusalem. On September 8, Britain announced an import ban and settlement-related sanctions including measures tied to E1.