Israel opens up bids for highly-sensitive West Bank settlement project

Key Points:

• Israel has opened tenders for the construction of approximately 1,200 settlement homes in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank, a move seen as aimed at ending prospects for a Palestinian state.
• The deadline for bids is set for 19 October, just before Israel's general election on 27 October, making it difficult for any future government to reverse the tenders.
• Since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's return to power in late 2022, settlement expansion has accelerated, with the current government explicitly supporting the E1 project to "erase" the idea of a Palestinian state.
• Critics argue that construction in E1 would geographically divide the West Bank, isolating East Jerusalem and effectively blocking the creation of a contiguous Palestinian state, undermining the two-state solution.
• Israeli peace groups and Palestinian activists have challenged the plans in court, warning that even partial construction would have severe strategic and humanitarian consequences for Palestinians.