3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 19
Summary
Four weeks before Britain unveiled sanctions on Israeli settlements, British officials say they came away from an Aug. 11 call believing Israel would not open E1 construction bids before October elections.
About a week later, Israel posted tenders for roughly 1,200 housing units in E1, a long-delayed settlement area east of Jerusalem that Britain sees as vital to a future Palestinian state.
British officials viewed the tenders as a reversal by Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, while Israel's foreign ministry said he promised only that there would be no physical change on the ground before the vote.
The dispute sharpened an already fraught relationship, with London reiterating that settlement expansion puts progress toward a two-state solution at significant risk.