Britain says Israel's E1 tenders were 'the complete opposite' of what it understood; Israel says Saar promised only no change on the ground before October

What London says it understood. About a month before the sanctions, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar spoke to his counterparts in London, Ynet reports. The British "got the impression" that Israel would not advance the E1 building plan before the elections. About a week later, Ynet says, the government published tenders for about 1,200 housing units. "This is the complete opposite of what we understood," the British said, according to Ynet.

What Israel says it promised. Israel's foreign ministry told Ynet that Saar "only updated that there would be no change on the ground itself before October."

Who joined. The Jerusalem Post, citing unnamed diplomats who spoke to Australia's ABC, says Australia declined to join the 12-nation, UK-led coalition late in the negotiations.

On the ground. Al-Modon, a Lebanese outlet, reports that settlers attacked homes in al-Mughayyir, north-east of Ramallah, the same day, amid "an escalating pace of settlement". We hold only its opening line.

Not settled - Only Ynet reports the tenders. No second report confirms them. - No record of the call has been published. Each side gives its own account. - Whether Australia was ever in the coalition. Only unnamed diplomats say so. - No Palestinian official or resident is quoted in any report we hold.

This story is about E1, a planned Israeli building zone east of Jerusalem, and a row over whether Israel told Britain it would hold off building there.

How it got here. Israel captured the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in the 1967 war. Israeli governments have built settlements there ever since. Most states and the UN hold that the settlements break international law. Israel disputes this. In July 2024 the International Court of Justice advised that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful.

E1 is open land between East Jerusalem and the settlement of Ma'ale Adumim. Plans to build there go back to the 1990s. They were frozen again and again under American and European pressure. Opponents, among them the Palestinian Authority and many European governments, say homes there would split the northern West Bank from the south and cut East Jerusalem off from both. Supporters in Israel say it joins Ma'ale Adumim to Jerusalem. In August 2025 Israel's planning authorities gave the plan final approval, pressed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

Britain has moved against settlement in steps. In June 2025 it sanctioned two Israeli ministers, Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, together with four other states. In September 2025 it recognised the State of Palestine.

The actors. Britain leads the coalition that has now sanctioned settlements. Gideon Saar is Israel's foreign minister, in a government led by Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel must hold a general election by October 2026. The Palestinian Authority governs parts of the West Bank but has no say over planning in E1.

What is at stake. If E1 is built, opponents say a connected Palestinian state becomes much harder to draw. For Britain, the question is whether an ally misled it before it acted.

Where it stands. Twelve states have sanctioned settlements. Ynet reports that tenders for about 1,200 homes in E1 have been published.