Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has announced six new tenders for the construction and expansion of two West Bank settlements, further entrenching its apartheid system and undermining the possibility of a viable Palestinian state.

The tenders call for contractors to bid on the construction and marketing of 4,030 new settler housing units in the illegal colonies of “Ariel” in the Salfit governorate and “Ma’ale Adumim” in the Jerusalem governorate.

According to data from Peace Now and the Palestinian Wall and Colonization Resistance Commission, three tenders are aimed at expanding the newly built “Ariel West” neighborhood with 730 housing units. Peace Now warned that such an expansion will cut off and suffocate the Palestinian town of Salfit, preventing it from developing as a central hub for surrounding Palestinian communities.

The other three tenders target “Ma’ale Adumim”, a major settlement between Bethlehem and al-Khalil (Hebron), involving the construction of 3,300 new colonial units. This represents a 33% increase in the settlement’s housing stock, a dramatic growth for a colony whose population has stagnated at around 38,000 for over a decade. The new units are planned for a large neighborhood linking Ma’ale Adumim’s built-up area with its eastern industrial zone — a move that will further fragment Palestinian territory.

The Palestinian Commission noted that approval for Ma’ale Adumim was granted in July, and for Ariel in May, with tenders issued only weeks later — evidence that the occupation regime is racing to cement new “facts on the ground” before any political pressure can slow the process.

Furthermore, the Commission pointed out that the map attached to the Ariel West tender shows the project site over two kilometers from the current settlement, suggesting that Israel is attempting to conceal the creation of a brand-new colony under the false label of “expansion.”

The expansion of Israeli settlements in occupied territory is a clear violation of international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, and has been repeatedly condemned by the United Nations. Palestinian officials and human rights groups stress that such projects are part of a long-term strategy to annex more Palestinian land, erase Palestinian presence, and impose irreversible realities that sabotage any prospects for peace. (ILKHA)