Israel Issues Tenders for 1,234 West Bank Settlement Units

Israel has issued tenders for the construction of 1,234 housing units in the sensitive E1 area of the occupied West Bank, a move that has triggered widespread international condemnation and threats of sanctions. The Israeli Housing Ministry opened bidding on August 18 for the project, with submissions due on October 19, one week before national elections scheduled for October 27. The development is part of a larger plan for approximately 3,400 units in the area, which Israel approved in August 2025.

The E1 corridor lies between Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim. Critics, including the United Nations and multiple foreign governments, argue that developing this area would effectively bisect the West Bank, severing East Jerusalem from Palestinian territory and making a contiguous Palestinian state geographically impossible. The UN secretary-general has previously described the E1 plan as posing an "existential threat" to a two-state solution.

The tender prompted a coordinated rebuke from several nations. The leaders of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Canada, and Norway issued a joint statement calling the decision "unacceptable" and...