Overview
- The Israel Land Authority tender covers 3,401 housing units in the E1 area east of Jerusalem, with bids due in mid-March according to documents cited by watchdogs.
- Peace Now, which first flagged the tender, says preparatory work could begin within weeks once contracts are awarded, though municipal permits would still be required.
- Planned building between Jerusalem and Ma'ale Adumim is widely described by critics as effectively splitting the West Bank and further isolating East Jerusalem.
- Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have publicly championed E1, framing settlement expansion as a way to block Palestinian statehood.
- The Palestinian Authority condemned the move as a dangerous turning point, and more than 20 countries have denounced the plan as illegal under international law, echoing the ICJ’s 2024 advisory opinion.