SAFA — Israeli authorities have moved the controversial E1 settlement project east of occupied Jerusalem closer to implementation, with all 3,401 planned housing units now covered by construction tenders.

The project, widely condemned by Palestinians and much of the international community, threatens to sever Palestinian territorial contiguity between the northern and southern occupied West Bank and further isolate occupied Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings.

Israeli authorities are scheduled to open bidding on October 25 for 2,167 settlement units under an updated tender, with bids due by December 21.

The units are in addition to a separate tender issued on August 18 for 1,234 units, bringing the total number of housing units covered by the two tenders to 3,401.

The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said the division of the project into two tenders does not represent a retreat from E1, but instead places all 3,401 units approved under the plans into the implementation process.

The Commission stressed that opening the tenders does not mean construction has begun or that the project is legally irreversible. Further steps remain, including selecting successful bidders, signing development and lease agreements, obtaining permits and carrying out infrastructure work.

However, it described the tendering of all planned units as an advanced step towards implementation.

The E1 area lies between occupied Jerusalem and the illegal Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, making it one of the most strategically consequential settlement projects in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinian officials and rights groups have long warned that construction in the corridor would further fragment Palestinian territory, threaten geographic continuity between the northern and southern West Bank and deepen the separation of Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings.

The latest move comes amid accelerated Israeli settlement expansion across the occupied West Bank. Critics warn that advancing E1 would further entrench Israeli control over Palestinian land and severely undermine the territorial basis for a viable Palestinian state.