Israel is advancing plans for a large-scale settlement in the heart of the occupied West Bank, a project critics say is intended to undermine the possibility of a future Palestinian state. The Israel Land Authority posted a tender in mid-December for the construction of 3,401 homes in the “E1” project, which would sever the northern and southern West Bank for Palestinians and further isolate East Jerusalem.
E1 Project Details
The tender, which had not been previously reported, sets a mid-March deadline for companies to submit bids for the construction work. Yonatan Mizrachi, co-director of Settlement Watch with the advocacy group Peace Now, said the timeline suggests construction could begin within a year. The project would formalize a land grab previously described by the British government as “a flagrant breach of international law.”
The E1 project has been discussed for decades, initially proposed in the 1990s by then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. For years, construction was blocked by the United States and European allies, but that opposition appears to have waned.
Impact on Two-State Solution
Critics and supporters alike agree that building settlements in the E1 area would significantly hinder efforts to achieve a two-state solution. Mizrachi stated that construction in E1 is “intended to create irreversible facts on the ground leading to a one-state reality, which all indications suggest would take the form of an apartheid regime.”
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler himself, stated last year that former President Donald Trump had ended longstanding US opposition to the E1 plan. In August, Israeli authorities formally approved the project, with Smotrich claiming it would “bury” the idea of a sovereign Palestine.
International Condemnation
More than 20 countries, including allies of Israel such as France, Canada, Italy, and Australia, condemned the decision as a violation of international law and a risk to regional stability. Despite this, Israel has continued to move forward with construction planning.
In September, Israel’s housing ministry signed an agreement to fund infrastructure construction for E1 and the expansion of the neighboring Ma’ale Adumim settlement, at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu stated, “We said there will be no Palestinian state, and indeed there will be no Palestinian state! This place is ours.”
Accelerated Timeline and Further Expansion
The speed of the E1 project’s advancement is notable, with the tender process beginning just four months after planning approval – a timeframe typically taking six months to a year. Hagit Ofran, a settlement expert at Peace Now, fears construction could begin in the coming months, before national elections expected by October.
In December, Israel also approved proposals for 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, including some that were previously evacuated. Peace Now estimates that the number of settlements will increase from 141 to 210 once the recently approved settlements are built. Israeli military deployments have already begun in areas previously evacuated to prepare for the arrival of new settlers.
Violence against Palestinians in the West Bank has also increased since October 2023, with hundreds killed and tens of thousands displaced. The UN’s International Court of Justice ruled in 2024 that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories violates international law, ordering Israel to end the occupation and provide reparations.
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