Listen to this article
Estimated 3 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
Israel has cleared the final hurdle before starting construction on a contentious settlement project near Jerusalem that would effectively cut the occupied West Bank in two, according to a government tender.
The tender, which seeks bids from developers, would clear the way to begin construction of the E1 project.
The anti-settlement monitoring group Peace Now first reported the tender. Yoni Mizrahi, who runs the group’s settlement watch division, said initial work could begin within the month.
Settlement development in E1, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, has been under consideration for more than two decades, but was frozen due to U.S. pressure during previous administrations.
The international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank to be illegal and an obstacle to peace.
The E1 project is especially contentious because it runs from the outskirts of Jerusalem deep into the occupied West Bank. Critics say it would prevent the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state in the territory.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right politician who oversees settlement policy, has long pushed for the plan to become a reality.
“The Palestinian state is being erased from the table not with slogans but with actions,” he said in August, when Israel gave final approval to the plan. “Every settlement, every neighbourhood, every housing unit is another nail in the coffin of this dangerous idea.”
The tender, publicly accessible on the website for Israel’s Land Authority, calls for proposals to develop 3,401 housing units. Peace Now says the publication of the tender “reflects an accelerated effort to advance construction in E1.”
The Israeli government has given final approval to a controversial settlement construction project that would effectively cut the occupied West Bank into two parts. Such settlements are considered illegal under international law.
Israeli troops fire at university protesters
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Red Crescent said Tuesday that 11 people were injured during an Israeli raid at a university in the West Bank.
The president of Birzeit University, speaking at a news conference, said a group of about 20 Israeli military vehicles had stormed the gate and entered the campus. Video obtained by The Associated Press confirmed their presence on campus.
“Unfortunately, targeting the university is a recurring event,” said Talal Shahwan, the school’s president, who said the forces displayed “clear brutality.”
Israeli officials said military and border troops were sent to break up an anticipated gathering and soon found themselves facing a crowd of hundreds of people, some allegedly throwing rocks at them from rooftops.
They said they used targeted fire toward the “main violent individuals.”
