Israel has opened tenders for the construction of approximately 1,200 settlement homes in the controversial E1 area of the occupied West Bank, a move that critics say would effectively split the territory in two and severely undermine prospects for a contiguous Palestinian state.
The tenders, published on the Israel Land Authority website, cover housing units in the corridor between East Jerusalem and the Ma’ale Adumim settlement bloc. The E1 zone is widely regarded as one of the most strategically sensitive areas in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as construction there would sever the link between the northern and southern West Bank.
UK Responds With Targeted Sanctions
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband condemned the tender publication as “an unacceptable and destructive act” and called on Israel to “halt E1 plans immediately, retract the tender and stop all settlement expansion.” Miliband announced that the UK government would prepare new targeted sanctions against Israelis participating in what he described as illegal settlement activity.
The sanctions represent a significant hardening of Britain’s position toward Israel under the Labour government. Other nations, including Canada and Germany, also issued condemnations of the E1 tender, adding to a growing wave of international criticism of Israeli settlement policy in the West Bank.
Settlement Expansion Accelerates Amid Gaza War
The E1 tender comes as part of a broader acceleration of settlement construction across the West Bank. Israel’s Security Cabinet recently approved the creation of 13 new settlements in the central West Bank, a move that the International Court of Justice has said violates international law. Settlement watchdog groups report that construction activity has intensified dramatically since the Gaza conflict began.
Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement organization, described the E1 tender as reflecting “an accelerated effort to advance construction” in the area. The publication of the tender suggests that final planning approvals have been secured, moving the project from theoretical to imminent.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the settlement plans, while international legal experts noted that the International Court of Justice ruling in July 2024 declared all Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories to be illegal under international law.
Strategic Significance of E1
The E1 area covers approximately 12 square kilometers between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim. Developed fully, it would create a continuous Israeli urban zone from West Jerusalem to the settlement bloc, effectively dividing the West Bank into two disconnected cantons. Previous Israeli governments had frozen construction in E1 under intense international pressure, but the current coalition has pushed ahead with planning.
Analysts say the tenders signal that Israel views the international focus on the Gaza conflict as providing political cover for West Bank settlement expansion. The timing has drawn comparisons to previous periods when settlement activity accelerated during broader regional crises.
Sources: BBC News; Reuters; The Guardian; Peace Now
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