Key facts
- Israel's attorney general ordered a one-month postponement of the E1 settlement tender.
- The tender, published August 18, covers 1,234 housing units.
- The deadline for bids was set for October 19, eight days before the Knesset election.
- The E1 settlement project is intended to link Ma’ale Adumim with East Jerusalem.
- The European Union has stated the E1 project undermines the prospects for a two-state solution.
- The UK condemned the tender and summoned Israel's Chargé d’Affaires.
Israel's attorney general has ordered a one-month postponement of a tender for construction in the E1 settlement area in the West Bank, according to Al Jazeera. The decision, reported on September 8, 2026, aims to prevent the tender from being used for electioneering ahead of the upcoming Knesset election on October 27.
The tender, initially published on August 18, covers 1,234 housing units out of 3,401 approved for the E1 project. The deadline for bids was set for October 19. An Israeli court had previously rejected petitions to halt the tender, ruling that significant time would pass before construction could begin and that legal challenges would likely be resolved before then. The court also noted that the state committed not to argue that progress in the tender process constitutes a fait accompli.
The E1 settlement project, located east of Jerusalem, has been a point of contention for over two decades. Critics argue that its construction would effectively sever the West Bank by linking Israeli settlements to occupied East Jerusalem, disrupting Palestinian movement and isolating communities. The European Union has stated that the project fundamentally undermines the prospects for a two-state solution. The UK has also condemned the tender, with Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband summoning Israel's Chargé d’Affaires to express profound objection and demand an immediate reversal. The UK has indicated it will set out a comprehensive set of measures in the coming weeks to respond to Israeli government policies, target sanctions at those involved in illegal settlement expansion, and protect the viability of a Palestinian state.