Israeli ambassador rebuked as row over West Bank intensifies

David Lammy has joined 20 other foreign ministers to condemn Israeli plans to build an illegal settlement on the West Bank, with the Foreign Office summoning the Israeli ambassador to communicate the government's displeasure.

- Kiran Stacey

The foreign secretary co-signed a joint statement yesterday criticising the so-called E1 Plan, a 3,400-home settlement which critics say would divide the West Bank in half.

Officials then summoned Tzipi Hotovely to the Foreign Office in a rare public rebuke for the Israeli ambassador. The actions marked a further intensification of recent international criticism of Israel for its tactics in Gaza and the West Bank.

The statement, which was signed by 21 countries including the UK, Australia, Canada and France, said: "The decision by the Israeli higher planning committee to approve plans for settlement construction in the E1 area, east of Jerusalem, is unacceptable and a violation of international law. We condemn this decision and call for its immediate reversal in the strongest terms."

Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden also signed the statement, as did the European Commission's foreign affairs chief.