Israel Issues Tenders for 1,200 New West Bank Settlement Homes Ahead of Election

Israel's housing ministry announced a tender for 1,234 of the 3,401 housing units approved for the E1 zone, a strategically located area east of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank. The bid deadline is 19 October, just before the national election scheduled for 27 October, a timing the government says will make it harder for a future administration to cancel the contracts.

The project would add roughly 1,200 settlement homes to an existing network of about 160 settlements that house around 700,000 Israeli citizens alongside an estimated 3.3 million Palestinians. Israeli officials have said the development is intended to solidify Israeli presence in the area.

"The idea of a Palestinian state is being erased," said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich when the plans were first unveiled.

Opposition groups, including the Israeli watchdog Peace Now, argue that construction in E1 would fragment the West Bank, separating its northern and southern regions and isolating East Jerusalem, thereby reducing the feasibility of a two-state solution.

"The government is trying to sign contracts with contractors before the elections so that it will be much harder for the next government to cancel the construction," the group said.

Palestinian activist Jamal Juma described the project as having a devastating impact on Palestinians, reflecting broader concerns that the settlement expansion could further entrench the territorial dispute.