Israel overcomes final hurdle to start construction of controversial West Bank settlement project

Israel has cleared the final hurdle before beginning construction on a controversial settlement project near Jerusalem that would effectively cut the occupied West Bank in two, according to a government tender.

The tender, which solicits bids from developers, would pave the way for construction of the E1 project to begin.

Anti-settlement watchdog group Peace Now was the first to report the tender. Yoni Mizrahi, who heads the group’s settlement monitoring division, said initial work could begin within the month.

Settlement development in Area E1, a stretch of open land east of Jerusalem, has been under consideration for more than two decades but was frozen due to U.S. pressure under previous administrations.

The vast majority of the international community considers that the construction of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank is illegal and constitutes an obstacle to peace.

The E1 project is particularly controversial because it extends from the outskirts of Jerusalem to the occupied West Bank. Critics say this would prevent the creation of a Palestinian state contiguous to 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 wiped off the table not with slogans but with actions,” he said in August, when Israel gave final approval to the plan. “Every colony, every neighborhood, every housing unit is another nail in the coffin of this dangerous idea.”

The tender, publicly available on the Israel Land Authority website, calls for proposals to develop 3,401 housing units. Peace Now says the release of the tender “reflects an accelerated effort to advance construction in E1.”

WATCH | Israeli authorities approve controversial settlement project in August:

Controversial West Bank settlement project gets final approval

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 shoot university protesters

Separately, the Palestinian Red Crescent said Tuesday that 11 people were injured in an Israeli raid on a West Bank university.

Birzeit University’s president, speaking at a news conference, said a group of about 20 Israeli military vehicles stormed the gate and entered the campus. Video obtained by the Associated Press confirmed their presence on campus.

“Unfortunately, attacks on the university are a recurring occurrence,” said Talal Shahwan, the school’s president, who said the forces had demonstrated “clear brutality.”

Israeli officials said army and border troops were sent to break up a planned rally and quickly found themselves facing a crowd of hundreds of people, some throwing stones at them from rooftops.

They said they used targeted fire against the “main violent individuals.”