Britain has warned businesses considering construction bids for the E1 settlement project that they risk sanctions and other legal consequences.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband issued the statement on October 19, the deadline for bids. He said new British powers allow sanctions against individuals and companies involved in constructing illegal settlements, and urged prospective bidders not to proceed.
The statement does not identify a newly sanctioned bidder or announce a completed enforcement action. It is a warning about the possible consequences of participating.
Miliband described the E1 tender as a threat to a two-state solution and said participants should consider the risk of involvement in serious breaches of international law. Those assessments were made by the British government, not announced as findings in a new court judgment.
He also reiterated a commitment to legislation banning imports from illegal settlements and action against services financing or facilitating them. The announcement does not itself bring that proposed ban into force.
