Overview
- The Israel Land Authority quietly published the E1 tender in mid-December, with bids due in mid-March, following formal planning approval in August.
- Peace Now, which identified the posting, says the accelerated timeline could allow initial work to begin within the month.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have promoted E1, framing it as a move that blocks the prospect of a Palestinian state.
- More than 20 governments have condemned the plan as illegal under international law, and a 2024 ICJ advisory opinion found Israel’s occupation unlawful.
- In September the housing ministry signed an infrastructure funding deal for E1 and nearby Ma’ale Adumim, and in December the government advanced 19 more West Bank settlements, which Peace Now says could raise the total to about 210.