Israel Tenders 1,234 E1 Homes as Europe Condemns — SkimNews
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- Israel's Ministry of Housing issued tenders on 18 August for 1,234 housing units in the E1 corridor — a 12 sq km strip between Jerusalem and the Ma'ale Adumim settlement — with the bidding period closing just days before the 27 October vote.
- Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who functions as de facto governor of the West Bank, boasted in August 2025 that the broader ~3,400-unit E1 plan would "bury the idea of a Palestinian state."
- Building E1 at the narrow waist of the occupied Palestinian territory would physically bisect the West Bank into northern and southern cantons and complete a ring of Israeli settlements around Jerusalem, virtually cutting Palestinians off from the city.
- The Trump administration has not reproved Israel for the 18 August decision and has limited itself to restating general opposition to annexation, while the ICJ's 2024 advisory opinion found Israel's settlement policy violates international law.
- More than 20 Western leaders, including the UK, France, Canada and the European Commission, issued strongly worded condemnation, while a coalition of Arab and Muslim states threatened consequences for private firms developing E1.
- European governments that continue to profess support for a two-state solution now carry the principal diplomatic burden, with Crisis Group warning that delay past the 19 October bidding deadline could render external pressure moot.
Why it matters: The E1 tender is the most consequential settlement move in years because construction would physically bisect the West Bank and seal East Jerusalem off from surrounding Palestinian areas — effectively ending the geographic basis for a contiguous Palestinian state. With the U.S. silent and Israel's election on 27 October, Europe faces a narrow 19 October bidding deadline to convert condemnation into binding measures before the project hardens into fact.
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