RAMALLAH, September 8, 2026 (WAFA) – The Israeli Central Court in occupied Jerusalem rejected a petition seeking to freeze a tender for the construction of 1,234 settlement units in the E1 settlement project, or to halt procedures related to implementing the plan.
The court said that the actual commencement of construction remains a long way off and that the petitions filed against the project are likely to be resolved before the project reaches the implementation stage.
Potential bidders were also notified of the ongoing legal proceedings, with any rights arising from the tender remaining subject to the court’s decision.
The request was filed last August as part of three consolidated petitions against the E1 plans, submitted by the Ir Amim and Bimkom – Planners for Planning Rights organizations and the Peace Now movement, along with Palestinian residents. The petitioners called for the tender to be suspended, arguing that issuing it without prior notice violated a previous commitment to notify them before its publication.
The petitioners warned that continuing the tender procedures before the petitions are adjudicated could create new facts on the ground and limit the court’s ability to provide effective remedy should the challenges be upheld.
The tender covers the construction of 1,234 settlement units out of approximately 3,400 planned for the area between occupied Jerusalem and the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim.
Y.S
