Israel has opened tenders for around 1,200 settlement homes in the E1 area east of Jerusalem, a move that would effectively split the West Bank in two and cut off East Jerusalem, dealing a severe blow to hopes of a future Palestinian state. The bid deadline falls just days before Israel's general election on 27 October, a timing critics say is designed to lock in contracts with builders before any future government could cancel them.

The tender covers 1,234 of the 3,401 housing units approved a year ago, spanning roughly 12 sq km between East Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement, with bids due by 19 October. Israel has built about 160 settlements housing 700,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 1967, alongside an estimated 3.3 million Palestinians, and settlement expansion has accelerated under Benjamin Netanyahu's pro-settler coalition since late 2022. Settlements are considered illegal under international law, and the watchdog group Peace Now, which has challenged the E1 plans in court, warned that even partial construction would sever the northern West Bank from the south and isolate East Jerusalem.