Israel has cleared the final procedural barrier to launch one of its most disputed settlement projects, issuing a government tender that could soon open construction in the E1 area east of Jerusalem. Supporters and critics agree on one thing: the move carries lasting consequences.
Israel has taken its most concrete step in years toward building in the E1 zone, a stretch of land wedged between Jerusalem and the large settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, a project that has long sat at the center of international warnings and domestic debate.
A tender that changes the timeline
The government tender, published this week, seeks developers for 3,401 housing units in E1, effectively clearing the way for ground work to begin.
Anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now was the first to flag the move publicly, calling it the final hurdle after years of planning freezes and political hesitation.
Yoni Mizrahi, who heads the group’s settlement monitoring unit, said initial preparatory work could start within weeks.
One sentence sums up the shift. This is no longer theoretical planning.
Israeli officials have argued that issuing a tender does not guarantee immediate large-scale construction, but few observers believe the step is symbolic. Tenders are expensive, time-bound, and signal intent.
Why E1 has always been different
E1 is not just another hilltop.
The area sits between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim, one of Israel’s largest settlements in the occupied West Bank. Building there would effectively link the settlement bloc directly to Jerusalem.
Critics say that link would cut the West Bank in two.
Palestinian officials and many foreign governments argue that construction in E1 would block territorial continuity between northern and southern parts of a future Palestinian state, making a two-state outcome far harder to achieve.
Supporters of the project see it differently. They describe E1 as a natural extension of Jerusalem’s metropolitan area and argue that Ma’ale Adumim has always been expected to remain under Israeli control in any final agreement.
Both sides, interestingly, agree on the impact. They just disagree on whether that impact is justified.
A project stalled for more than 20 years
Plans for E1 date back over two decades.
Successive Israeli governments approved zoning and infrastructure in principle, then quietly froze the project under pressure from Washington and European allies. At various points, US administrations warned that building in E1 would cross a red line.
Those warnings slowed things down. They never erased the plans.
Over the years, roads were surveyed, police headquarters were proposed, and planning committees advanced paperwork, then paused again. Each step sparked criticism, then faded from headlines.
This tender is different because it moves the project from planning rooms into the market.
And markets tend to expect follow-through.
International reaction, familiar but still sharp
Even before construction begins, diplomatic fallout appears likely.
European governments have repeatedly said that E1 construction would violate international law and undermine peace efforts. The United Nations has issued similar statements in the past.
The United States, Israel’s closest ally, has also opposed E1 development under both Democratic and Republican administrations, though the tone and pressure have varied.
So far, official reactions to the tender have been muted, but that may not last.
One former Western diplomat based in Tel Aviv put it bluntly: E1 is the settlement issue that never really went away.
The numbers behind the controversy
The tender covers 3,401 housing units, a sizable addition by any standard. While Israel has advanced larger settlement plans elsewhere, E1’s location magnifies its significance.
To understand why, consider what the project would include:
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Residential neighborhoods linking Jerusalem to Ma’ale Adumim
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Commercial zones and public infrastructure
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Road networks that reshape movement across the area
A single paragraph makes the point. It is not just housing, it is geography.
Palestinian communities nearby fear increased restrictions on movement and access, even if no immediate displacement is planned.
Israeli politics and timing
The decision to issue the tender comes amid a tense political climate inside Israel, where settlement policy has become more openly debated within the governing coalition.
Hardline parties have pushed to revive long-frozen plans, arguing that years of delay brought no diplomatic gains. More centrist voices warn that E1 could isolate Israel internationally at a moment when it already faces mounting scrutiny.
Still, the tender suggests that those urging action currently have the upper hand.
One Israeli official, speaking anonymously, described the move as “aligning policy with reality.”
That phrasing is doing a lot of work.
Palestinian response and local impact
Palestinian officials condemned the tender almost immediately, warning it would entrench occupation and erase the possibility of a viable state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Local residents in surrounding areas say even preparatory work could affect daily life, from traffic patterns to land access.
There is also a psychological toll.
Years of frozen plans created uncertainty. Moving forward, even slowly, removes doubt about direction.
And direction, in this conflict, matters.
Why E1 still resonates globally
Many settlement projects draw criticism. Few carry the symbolic weight of E1.
Diplomats often cite it as a test case for Israel’s long-term intentions. Is the goal separation into two states, or consolidation into one entity with unequal rights?
Peace Now framed its criticism in stark terms, warning that E1 construction would create “irreversible facts on the ground” leading to a one-state reality.
That language echoes past debates, but the fear behind it feels more immediate now.
What happens next
The tender does not mean bulldozers roll tomorrow.
Developers must submit bids, contracts must be awarded, and further approvals are still required. Legal challenges are also possible.
Yet few believe the process will be reversed quietly.
After more than 20 years of starts and stops, E1 has returned to the center of Israeli-Palestinian politics with force.
