The Palestinian Authority has condemned Israel’s decision to advance plans for the construction of more than 1,200 housing units in the occupied West Bank under the controversial E1 settlement project.
Israel’s Ministry of Construction and Housing approved a tender for 1,234 housing units on Tuesday. The project is part of a wider plan to build more than 3,400 housing units across roughly 12 square kilometres of land between occupied East Jerusalem and the Ma’ale Adumim settlement.
Palestinian officials warned that the project could fragment the West Bank into isolated Palestinian enclaves and further separate East Jerusalem from the rest of the territory.
The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said the move forms part of a broader effort to reshape the area between Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley.
Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law.
The Israeli rights group Ir Amim warned that implementing even part of the E1 plan could sever the northern and southern parts of the West Bank while isolating East Jerusalem.
Peace Now also accused the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of attempting to undermine the prospects of a two-state solution.
The tender process is expected to close on October 19, just days before Israel’s scheduled general election on October 27.
Palestinian officials and rights groups fear the project could also threaten Bedouin communities in the area, including Khan al-Ahmar, by restricting their access to surrounding land.
Al Jazeera correspondent Nida Ibrahim described the project as potentially the “last nail in the coffin” of the two-state solution, warning that its implementation could significantly alter the geography of the occupied West Bank.
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