SAFA- The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission announced on Sunday that the Israel Land Authority has issued a new tender for the construction of 342 settlement housing units in the settlement of Ariel, built on land belonging to the Salfit Governorate in the occupied West Bank.

The commission said the project is particularly significant because Ariel is one of the largest Israeli settlements in the northern occupied West Bank. It noted that successive Israeli governments have sought to expand the settlement's residential footprint and population while strengthening its links to central Israel, further entrenching settlement activity and fragmenting Palestinian territory.

The commission said it monitored 12 settlement tenders issued by Israeli authorities during the first half of 2026, covering residential, commercial, industrial, tourism, and service projects.

According to the commission, the tenders include 1,138 settlement housing units ready for construction. Most are concentrated in five major settlements, including Ariel (342 units), Ma'ale Adumim (581 units), Immanuel (21 units), and Ganei Modi'in (194 units).

Additional tenders were issued for the construction of industrial and commercial zones, office buildings, elderly care facilities, and tourism and recreational projects, reflecting an increasing focus on expanding the settlements' economic and service infrastructure alongside residential development.

The commission said Israeli occupation authorities continue to expand settlements across the occupied West Bank through the approval of new plans, the issuance of construction tenders, and the development of supporting infrastructure.

It noted that these measures violate international law and United Nations resolutions, which consider Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory illegal.

The commission added that accelerating settlement construction is intended to create irreversible facts on the ground and further undermine the prospects for a contiguous and viable Palestinian state.