JERUSALEM, January 7, 2026 (WAFA) – The head of the Commission against the Wall and Settlements, Minister Mu'ayyad Sha'ban, said that Israeli authorities, represented by the so-called "Israel Land Authority," have issued a major tender for the construction of 3,401 settlement units in the area designated as E1, east of occupied Jerusalem.

In a statement, he affirmed that this step constitutes a highly dangerous escalation in the repercussions of the accelerated assault on Palestinian lands through colonial settlement plans.

Sha'ban emphasized that Israeli authorities have effectively moved from the planning and approval phase to the implementation phase with regard to this plan, which is one of the most dangerous colonial schemes that had been nominally frozen for three decades.

He explained that this tender comes as a continuation of the E1 plan, which was approved in August 2025 after a postponement of nearly 30 years due to international pressure.

He pointed out that initiating the tender process effectively means completely separating Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings and linking the Ma'ale Adumim settlement to the city, within the framework of the "Greater Jerusalem" project, thus undermining any realistic possibility of establishing a geographically contiguous Palestinian state.

 Shaaban added that 2025 witnessed an unprecedented escalation in settlement tenders, with Israeli authorities issuing plans for a total of 10,098 new settlement units. The largest share, more than 7,000 units, was allocated to the Ma’ale Adumim settlement, in addition to 900 units for the Efrat settlement on lands in Bethlehem governorate, 700 units for the Ariel settlement in Salfit governorate, and other tenders reflecting a systematic drive to deepen colonial control over Palestinian land.

Y.S