France, May 7 -- In an open letter published on Wednesday, 448 signatories - including former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and former Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt - called on the EU and its member states to impose targeted sanctions on individuals and entities involved in Israeli settlement expansion.

The appeal comes as Israel prepares to move ahead with the E1 settlement project, a plan covering around 12 square kilometres east of Jerusalem that includes roughly 3,400 housing units.

Critics say the development would effectively split the occupied West Bank in two, further isolating east Jerusalem from the Palestinian territories.

According to the letter, the Israeli government intends to publish detailed tenders fo...