Israeli authorities have issued a major construction tender for 3,401 new settlement units in the highly sensitive area known as E1, east of occupied Jerusalem, prompting a senior Palestinian official to condemn the move as a "highly dangerous escalation."

Muayyad Sha'ban, the head of the Palestinian Commission against the Wall and Settlements, stated that the tender, published by the Israeli Land Authority, marks a critical shift from the planning to the implementation phase of a colonial scheme he described as "one of the most dangerous" and one that had been "nominally frozen for three decades."

Sha'ban explained that the E1 plan, which aims to link the large Ma'ale Adumim settlement to Jerusalem, was formally approved in August 2025 after being delayed for nearly 30 years due to intense international pressure. He warned that initiating construction would "completely separate Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings" and sever the territorial continuity of the West Bank.

"This step effectively undermines any realistic possibility of establishing a geographically contiguous Palestinian state," Sha'ban said, framing it as part of the "Greater Jerusalem" project designed to cement Israeli control.

According to Sha'ban's commission, 2025 saw an unprecedented surge in settlement tenders, with Israeli authorities advancing plans for a total of 10,098 new units across the occupied West Bank. The largest share, over 7,000 units, was allocated to Ma'ale Adumim. Other major tenders included 900 units for the Efrat settlement on lands belonging to Bethlehem, 700 units for Ariel in Salfit governorate, and hundreds more across various locations.

Palestinian officials and international critics view the E1 area as particularly strategic. Building there would create a continuous Israeli-built bloc between Ma'ale Adumim and Jerusalem, potentially bifurcating the northern and southern West Bank and further isolating East Jerusalem, the envisaged capital of a future Palestinian state.

The move is expected to draw strong condemnation from Palestinian leadership and could heighten tensions amid already volatile regional dynamics. (ILKHA)