These units are added to a separate tender issued by the occupation authorities on August 18 last year for the construction of 1234 units, bringing the total number of units covered by the two tenders to 3401 units, which are all the units approved within the E1 project plans.
In parallel, a new date has been set for the tender for the establishment of an operation and trade zone within the project, extending over approximately 1355 dunams east of Anata village, in the western part of the E1 area, with plans to access it from the Jerusalem side. The tender is scheduled to open on November 2, and close on January 4, 2027.
Israeli occupation authorities had issued in March last year a tender for the operation and trade area, within a plan that the associations "Amir Ammi" and "Peace Now" say will enhance the geographical link between the settlement of "Ma'ale Adumim" and Jerusalem, at the expense of Palestinian geographical connectivity in the region.
The original tender for the E1 project included 3401 settlement units, before the authorities separately issued, on August 18, 1234 of them, despite a previous commitment to inform the petitioners against the plan in advance before proceeding with the tender procedures.
Following this, the petitioners filed three unified petitions against the E1 plans, requesting a precautionary order to freeze the tender procedures.
On September 8, the Israeli Central Court in Jerusalem rejected the request, while the original petitions are still under consideration, and the occupation authorities have been granted an extension until September 24 to submit their response to them.
The association "Amir Ammi" said that the offer for 2167 units before two days of the elections, along with the offer published in August, would push forward the procedures for offering all 3401 units in the E1 project.
The association added that proceeding with the construction projects and the operation and trade zone together would, according to its estimate, enhance the Israeli geographical connectivity between "Ma'ale Adumim" and Jerusalem, and increase the fragmentation of the Palestinian space, considering that the timing of these steps and the pace of project implementation reflect a government tendency to impose changes on the ground.
