Why Israeli tenders for illegal E1 West Bank settlement prompted outrage

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that Israel has opened tenders for 1,234 homes in the occupied West Bank as part of the long-delayed E1 settlement project, a move critics say would deepen settlement expansion around occupied East Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim. The project is intended to create a continuous Israeli corridor across land east of Jerusalem, which rights groups and Palestinian advocates argue would make movement between the northern and southern West Bank much harder and further weaken the chance of a future Palestinian state.

The article says the plan has been promoted for decades but repeatedly stalled after international pressure. It notes that the current push comes amid a more favorable political climate for settlement activity under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich overseeing settlement-related powers in the Defence Ministry. Al Jazeera also says Israeli authorities have already carried out related steps, including infrastructure work, road planning and demolitions tied to the area.

The report highlights concern for Palestinian communities living in the corridor, including Bedouin villages near the planned route and Khan al-Ahmar, which has long faced demolition threats. It also says the tender was opened while a legal challenge remains before the Jerusalem District Court.

Several Western governments, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada and Norway, condemned the move and urged Israel to withdraw the tenders, warning companies against bidding because of possible legal and reputational risks. Al Jazeera frames the dispute as part of a broader struggle over the occupied West Bank, international law and the viability of a two-state solution.