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- October 19, 202617°
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Smotrich opposes the postponement of the E1 settlement tender in East Jerusalem.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the cancellation of the decision to postpone a tender for 2,167 settlement homes planned in the E1 area east of occupied East Jerusalem. Including a separate tender opened in August, the total number of homes in the projects would reach 3,401.
The postponement of a planned tender for the construction of 2,167 settlement homes in the E1 area east of occupied East Jerusalem drew opposition from Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Gali Baharav-Miara, the Israeli government's legal adviser, postponed the deadline for submitting bids by one month. The decision means that the remaining procedures for the project will take place after the parliamentary elections scheduled for October 27.
Baharav-Miara said the postponement was intended to prevent any intervention during the election period. Smotrich argued that the technical procedures had begun well before the elections and that the process should continue.
Smotrich criticized the postponement decision, which was made after a meeting that did not include the political leadership. He claimed that halting the tender had turned the issue into part of the election campaign.
Speaking during a visit to a settlement farm in the West Bank, Smotrich alleged that Baharav-Miara was trying to halt construction work on the E1 highway. He also claimed that Baharav-Miara was interfering in the election campaign and acting in favor of Gadi Eisenkot, the leader of the Yeshar Party.
Smotrich said Eisenkot had announced that he would halt the construction work in order to allow the establishment of a Palestinian state. The Israeli finance minister said he would not allow the initiative to proceed.
Settlement homes in E1
Israeli authorities had been preparing to receive bids on October 25 for 2,167 homes in the E1 project. The project is also expected to include 1,234 homes offered through a separate tender in August.
The total number of homes in the two tenders would rise to 3,401. The E1 project east of East Jerusalem aims to connect the Maale Adumim settlement with occupied Jerusalem by confiscating land belonging to Palestinians.
Settlement plans in the West Bank and East Jerusalem
Official Palestinian figures show that 113 development plans covering more than 12,435 settlement homes in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem were reviewed in the first half of 2026. The Israeli government approved the establishment of 34 new settlements during the same period.
Palestinian figures show that there are 194 settlements and 400 settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Approximately 750,000 settlers are reported to live in these areas.
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