First 1,400 housing units to be marketed in controversial E1 area of West Bank

The Israeli government's long-standing plan to develop the contentious E1 area, situated between Ma'aleh Adumim and Jerusalem, has moved a significant step forward. Ma'aleh Adumim Mayor Guy Yifrach announced Tuesday the upcoming marketing of the first 1,400 housing units in the area. This development is part of a broader plan approved by the Civil Administration’s Higher Planning Committee to ultimately construct 3,412 housing units in E1.

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This is tremendous news for Ma’aleh Adumim, and major news for the State of Israel as a whole.

Mayor Yifrach hailed the announcement as "tremendous news for Ma’aleh Adumim, and major news for the State of Israel as a whole." He expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, stating that "the construction of the E-1 neighborhood is vital to the future of Ma’aleh Adumim, to its continued growth, expansion, and the strengthening of its position as a strong city in Israel." The project is expected to increase Ma'aleh Adumim's population by approximately 12,000 residents.

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the construction of the E-1 neighborhood is vital to the future of Ma’aleh Adumim, to its continued growth, expansion, and the strengthening of its position as a strong city in Israel.

The E1 corridor encompasses about 12 square kilometers within Ma'aleh Adumim's jurisdiction. Construction there would integrate the new neighborhood into the existing settlement city. However, the E1 area has been a focal point of international controversy for decades. Successive U.S. administrations, prior to President Donald Trump's term, consistently opposed building in the region due to its sensitive location, which creates a territorial corridor between the southern and northern West Bank.

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We have come a long way to reach this moment. There were obstacles, there were delays, and there were those who thought it would never happen. But we believed, we persevered, we took action, and we never gave up.

Plans for E1 were first conceived in 1991 and advanced in the mid-1990s to enhance Israeli territorial contiguity around Jerusalem. Despite periodic attempts to revive the plan, including under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in 2004, opposition from the U.S. and the European Union has consistently stalled progress. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who approved construction last summer, stated that building in E1 would "provide the final nail in the coffin of aspirations for a Palestinian state," highlighting its critical nature from the Palestinian and international perspectives.

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the plan to build the area was first developed by the Shamir government in 1991 and advanced by the Rabin government in the mid-1990s in an effort to create Israeli territorial contiguity around Jerusalem.