Israel tenders 627 settler units in occupied West Bank — SkimNews
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- Israel Land Authority published a tender Thursday for 627 housing units in the Kochav Yaakov settlement in the occupied West Bank's Ramallah and al-Bireh governorate, with construction bids due November 30.
- The project covers 253.7 dunams (~63 acres) and was first approved April 27, 2025; it moves from planning to construction just 15 months after approval and will expand Kochav Yaakov's built-up area while linking it to nearby settlements and access roads.
- The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission (CRRC) condemned the expansion as designed to "deepen the separation between Jerusalem and its Palestinian surroundings."
- Settlement expansion has surged this year — CRRC tracked 12 tenders in the first half of 2026 totaling 1,138 housing units across five main settlements, plus separate tenders for industrial zones, offices, nursing homes, and tourism facilities, reflecting what CRRC calls "growing investment in settlements' economic infrastructure, not just housing."
- Palestinian monitors recorded more than 11,000 attacks by Israeli forces and settlers across the West Bank since January 2026.
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said Israeli settlements have "no legal validity" and constitute a "flagrant violation" of international law — a position reinforced by a 2024 International Court of Justice advisory opinion deeming Israel's continued occupation of Palestinian territory unlawful.
Why it matters: This is not a one-off approval — it's the 12th settlement tender tracked by CRRC in the first half of 2026, totaling 1,138 housing units across five settlements, plus industrial and tourism tenders. The Kochav Yaakov cluster sits between northern Jerusalem and Ramallah, and CRRC frames the 627-unit project as designed to wall off Jerusalem from its Palestinian hinterland. With a November 30 bid deadline and 15-months-from-approval speed, the project moves Israeli entrenchment from blueprint to construction.
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