Israel opened tender for 1,200 new settlement homes in the E1 area east of Jerusalem, a move that could split the West Bank and render a Palestinian state impossible.
The government announced the construction of 1,234 housing units, covering roughly 12 square kilometres between East Jerusalem and Maale Adumim, on a 19‑October deadline that precedes the April 27 election.
The project has been widely condemned internationally and is illegal under international law. Critics argue it will sever the northern West Bank from the south, isolate East Jerusalem and undermine any two‑state solution.
A Bedouin community court challenge and protests by Israeli peace groups are ongoing, but the state's Housing Ministry has issued the tender, which if signed will be hard for a future government to reverse.
The E1 region has been the centre of contentious settlement expansion since 2022, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition vowed to “erase” the idea of a Palestinian state.
The tender marks a significant step toward the Israeli government's aim to quash any possibility of Palestinian statehood, amid global backlash and legal pushback from Palestinians and international organisations.
