The first tender has been published for the E1 settlement project planned for the occupied West Bank. The Israeli government’s tender calls for the construction of 1,234 housing units and was published without prior notification to the parties that had objected.
The project, which had been frozen under pressure from previous US administrations, was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in September 2025. The project is expected to effectively divide the area in two by severing the connection between occupied East Jerusalem and Palestinian territories in the West Bank.
In a statement posted on her account on the social media platform operated by the US-based company X, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the publication of construction tenders for the E1 project unacceptable. Saying that the EU had long opposed the project, von der Leyen said E1 would divide the West Bank, disrupt the geographical contiguity of the Palestinian territories and weaken the prospect of a two-state solution.
Von der Leyen said their commitment to a fair and lasting peace based on a two-state solution remained firm.
14 countries joined the joint statement
Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Belgium, Austria and Spain later joined a joint statement published on August 20 by the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada and Norway. With the European Commission and Greece added to the signatories, the number supporting the statement rose to 14.
The statement described the Israeli government’s decision to publish construction tenders במסגרת the E1 project as unacceptable. It said Israeli settlements in the West Bank violated international law and called on the Israeli government to withdraw its plans and end the expansion of settlements.
Planned scope of the E1 project
The E1 project aims to connect the Maale Adumim settlement near East Jerusalem to the road leading to West Jerusalem. The project area extends close to the neighborhood of Al-Eizariya, located on the West Bank side of the Separation Wall and historically considered part of East Jerusalem.
More than 4,000 housing units and hotels are planned in the area as part of the project. For this purpose, 12,000 dunams of Palestinian land were seized in 1999.
