Israel launches controversial E1 housing project, potentially bisecting West Bank

Israel has officially launched a tender for 1,234 housing units in the highly controversial E1 area east of Jerusalem. Analysts warn the construction could sever the West Bank's territorial continuity, a move that has drawn sharp international criticism.

The tender deadline is October 19, just one week before Israeli parliamentary elections. This project is part of a broader plan for 3,401 housing units approved in August 2025. At the time, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, described the construction as effectively erasing the "illusion of two states."

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This construction practically erases the illusion of two states.

The E1 designation covers approximately 12 square kilometers of Palestinian land between East Jerusalem and the settlement of Ma'ale Adumim. It is envisioned as a densely built corridor of residential, industrial, and tourist zones intended to physically connect these two points. Its strategic significance lies in its potential to cut the West Bank in two from north to south, disrupting territorial continuity between Bethlehem, East Jerusalem, and Ramallah. The plan directly threatens around 3,700 Palestinians, primarily Bedouin communities.

Due to its sensitivity, construction in E1 has long been considered a move that could definitively prevent the creation of a contiguous Palestinian territory. While the plan has existed for decades, it was frozen for many years. Previous U.S. administrations under George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump (first term), and Joe Biden consistently described construction in E1 as "especially harmful" to peace prospects and contrary to long-standing U.S. policy.

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The E1 plan is a new and dangerous phase of violence against Palestinians.

This pattern shifted during Donald Trump's second term. The mayor of Ma'ale Adumim, Guy Yifrach, confirmed this shift this month, thanking Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Smotrich. He stated that the project had been awaiting approval for "decades," and that the "obstacles and delays" had only now disappeared.

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The expansion of illegal settlements constitutes 'spatial genocide'.

Turkey reacted sharply to the announcement. Ömer Çelik, spokesperson for the ruling AKP party, described Israel's E1 plan as a "new and dangerous phase" of violence against Palestinians. He accused Netanyahu's government of pursuing a policy he termed "Gaza-fication" of the West Bank, and called the expansion of illegal settlements "spatial genocide." Turkey, along with Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, signed a joint statement demanding an immediate halt to the E1 plan.

The current developments are the culmination of a process that began months ago. A turning point occurred on February 8, 2026, when the Israeli security cabinet approved a package of measures that lifted Jordan's ban on land sales to Jews, opened land registries to the public, and expanded Israeli civil and police powers in Palestinian areas of the West Bank. Energy Minister Eli Cohen openly acknowledged at the time that these measures represented "de facto sovereignty," stating they "effectively establish the fact that there will be no Palestinian state."

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These measures de facto establish sovereignty and the fact that there will be no Palestinian state.