Full Breakdown
International Leaders Condemn Israel’s E1 Settlement Tender Amid Election-Season Push
8/21/2026, 8:46:20 PM
Core Event
On August 18 2026 Israel’s Housing Ministry published a tender for 1,234 housing units in the E1 area, a tract of roughly 12 sq km east of Jerusalem that links Ma’ale Adumim to occupied East Jerusalem. The tender closes on October 19 2026, a week before the Israeli parliamentary election scheduled for October 27 2026. The units represent about one-third of the 3,400-plus homes approved for the E1 project in August 2025.
Background & Context
The E1 plan has been discussed for more than two decades and was repeatedly frozen under international pressure. In August 2025 the Israeli government gave final approval, describing the project as “historic” and asserting that it would “erase” the prospect of a Palestinian state. Settlement expansion accelerated after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in late 2022 and after the October 7 2023 Hamas attack, which sparked a war in Gaza and heightened settler violence in the West Bank. Under international law, all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are deemed illegal, a position reiterated by the United Nations Security Council and the International Court of Justice.
Data & Statistics
- Tendered units: 1,234 (about 1,200 homes).
- Total approved for E1: ? 3,400 homes.
- Area covered: ? 12 sq km (4.6 sq mi).
- Israeli settlements in the West Bank: ? 160 settlements.
- Reported Jewish residents in settlements: 700,000 (some sources) versus 500,000 (others).
- Palestinian population in the West Bank (excluding East Jerusalem): ? 3 million and ? 3.3 million.
Official Statements & Responses
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot called the tenders “unacceptable” and said they would seriously undermine the viability of a two-state solution.
UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the Secretary-General was “deeply alarmed” by the new tenders and warned that the E1 plan poses an “existential threat” to a contiguous Palestinian state.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on the number of Jewish settlers living in West Bank settlements: some cite 700,000 while others report 500,000. Both figures appear in reputable outlets, and the article notes the discrepancy without selecting a definitive count.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Britain will not stand back and accept the destruction of the Two-State Solution,” — Ed Miliband, UK foreign secretary
- “E1 would cut across the heart of Palestine and risks separating the West Bank from occupied East Jerusalem, which would endanger the viability of a two-state solution,” — Ed Miliband, UK foreign secretary
These quotations capture the key positions of the United Kingdom, the United Nations, and the Palestinian leadership regarding the settlement’s impact on a two-state solution.
