Israeli occupation authorities have cleared the final hurdle ahead of starting construction on an illegal and controversial settlement project near occupied East Al-Quds (Jerusalem) that critics say would effectively cut the occupied West Bank in two.
An occupation government tender seeking bids from developers has been published, paving the way for work on the E1 settlement project, according to official documents.
The anti-settlement monitoring group Peace Now first reported the tender.
Yoni Mizrahi, who heads the group’s settlement watch division, said initial construction work could begin within a month.
Israeli authorities issue tender for 3,401 colonial units east of occupied Jerusalem.
— WAFA News Agency – English (@WAFANewsEnglish) January 7, 2026
issuing tenders would completely sever Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings and link the Ma’ale Adumim settlement bloc to the city as part of the so-called “Greater Jerusalem” project. pic.twitter.com/b8p1Flyp6T
The E1 project is planned for an open area of land east of occupied Al-Quds and has been under discussion for more than 20 years.
Previous Israeli governments froze the plan under pressure from the United States.
The international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank to be illegal under international law and a major obstacle to peace.
The E1 project is seen as particularly contentious because it would link settlements on the eastern edge of Al-Quds to deeper areas of the occupied West Bank, a move critic say would block the creation of a contiguous Palestinian state.
“Most Dangerous Settler Projects”
For his part, Moayyad Shaaban, the head of the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said the Israeli move “represents a very dangerous development in the escalating attacks on Palestinian lands through colonial settlement plans.”
“The occupation authorities have practically moved from the planning and approval stage to the implementation stage,” Shaaban was quoted as saying by Palestinian media, describing the settler project as “one of the most dangerous colonial plans that has been formally frozen for three decades.”
Shaaban warned, meanwhile, that the events unfolding in the E1 area represent a dangerous turning point in the Israeli settler projects, calling on the international community to move beyond mere statements of concern and take concrete steps to halt the Israeli occupation actions.
The Israeli actions “constitute a flagrant violation of international law and UN resolutions, and directly undermine the prospects for peace and stability in the region.”
He concluded by stating that the Commission Against the Wall and Settlements will continue to pursue this issue at all national and international levels.
“We will work to expose the project’s political and geographical ramifications.”
“We are funding not only a genocide, but also apartheid against the Palestinian people, whose resilience amazes me”
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) January 6, 2026
Speaking from Hebron in the occupied West Bank, U.S. congressional candidate Cameron Kasky documented how Israeli occupation policies have transformed… pic.twitter.com/qtutP8Nis7