(AFP) - France on Saturday condemned Israel's decision to build thousands of new homes in the West Bank and called on Israel to drop the controversial E1 project to link Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement, calling it "a serious violation of international law".

France has condemned Israel’s plan to build 3,400 new homes in the occupied West Bank, calling the project a “serious violation of international law” that risks destroying any chance of a contiguous Palestinian state.

The Israeli government's decision to proceed with the E1 settlement project has sparked widespread condemnation and concerns over the viability of a two-state solution. The move is seen as a direct threat to Palestinian statehood,