Israel’s decision to open bidding on 1 December for 2,167 illegal settlement homes in the E1 area, east of occupied East Jerusalem, is a grave escalation of its settlement policy and a direct assault on the very idea of a Palestinian State. According to WAFA, the opening of bids was pushed from 25 October to 1 December and the submission deadline moved from 21 to 28 December. This was a scheduling shift, not a retreat: the units have not been cancelled or reduced, and the two E1 tenders together still cover 3,401 homes. The timing speaks for itself. As Yeni Şafak reported, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich pressed for the tender to proceed before Israel’s elections, turning Palestinian land into a campaign prize.
Israel issues tenders for 91 colonial housing units in Qalqilia, postpones E1 project deadlines
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Pakistan categorically rejects Israel’s E1 settlement expansion as a flagrant violation of international law, of Palestinian territorial integrity and of the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination. E1 is not a housing project; it is a map-drawing exercise designed to make a Palestinian State impossible. Built out, it would sever the northern and southern West Bank, isolate occupied East Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings and advance de facto annexation under the cover of construction tenders. The bulldozers are already moving: Israeli rights groups cited by Anadolu reported demolitions in a Palestinian Bedouin community inside the project area, with further demolition orders issued on 3 November.
ua
The law on this question is not ambiguous. UNSC Resolution 2334 (2016) declares that Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, have no legal validity, demands an immediate halt to all settlement activity and rejects any unilateral change to the pre-1967 lines. The International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024 went further, reaffirming the illegality of Israel’s occupation and settlements and obligating all states not to recognise or assist in maintaining this unlawful situation. Every E1 tender is an act of open defiance against both the Security Council and the world’s highest court.
Even Israel’s traditional partners can no longer look away. UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband called the tender unacceptable and demanded that Israel withdraw it and halt the plans. Statements, however, are not enough. Those who claim to defend a rules-based order while shielding Israel from consequences are complicit in dismantling it.
israelnationalnews
The international community must act, not merely express concern. It must halt the E1 tenders, enforce UNSCR 2334, implement the ICJ’s non-recognition and non-assistance obligations, and prevent the trade and investment that sustain illegal settlements. Gaza and the West Bank must remain territorially and politically integrated; any attempt to fragment Palestinian land into disconnected enclaves must be rejected outright.
Pakistan’s position is principled and unwavering. It supports an independent, sovereign and geographically contiguous State of Palestine, based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. E1 is a test of whether international law still means anything. The world must not fail it.
SAT Commentaries, a collection of insightful social media threads on current events and social issues, featuring diverse perspectives from various authors.
Israel’s E1 Gamble Defies International Law And Palestinian Statehood
Israel’s decision to open bidding on 1 December for 2,167 illegal settlement homes in the E1 area, east of occupied East Jerusalem, is a grave escalation of its settlement policy and a direct assault on the very idea of a Palestinian State. According to WAFA, the opening of bids was pushed from 25 October to 1 December and the submission deadline moved from 21 to 28 December. This was a scheduling shift, not a retreat: the units have not been cancelled or reduced, and the two E1 tenders together still cover 3,401 homes. The timing speaks for itself. As Yeni Şafak reported, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich pressed for the tender to proceed before Israel’s elections, turning Palestinian land into a campaign prize.
Israel issues tenders for 91 colonial housing units in Qalqilia, postpones E1 project deadlines
+2
Pakistan categorically rejects Israel’s E1 settlement expansion as a flagrant violation of international law, of Palestinian territorial integrity and of the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination. E1 is not a housing project; it is a map-drawing exercise designed to make a Palestinian State impossible. Built out, it would sever the northern and southern West Bank, isolate occupied East Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings and advance de facto annexation under the cover of construction tenders. The bulldozers are already moving: Israeli rights groups cited by Anadolu reported demolitions in a Palestinian Bedouin community inside the project area, with further demolition orders issued on 3 November.
ua
The law on this question is not ambiguous. UNSC Resolution 2334 (2016) declares that Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, have no legal validity, demands an immediate halt to all settlement activity and rejects any unilateral change to the pre-1967 lines. The International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024 went further, reaffirming the illegality of Israel’s occupation and settlements and obligating all states not to recognise or assist in maintaining this unlawful situation. Every E1 tender is an act of open defiance against both the Security Council and the world’s highest court.
Even Israel’s traditional partners can no longer look away. UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband called the tender unacceptable and demanded that Israel withdraw it and halt the plans. Statements, however, are not enough. Those who claim to defend a rules-based order while shielding Israel from consequences are complicit in dismantling it.
israelnationalnews
The international community must act, not merely express concern. It must halt the E1 tenders, enforce UNSCR 2334, implement the ICJ’s non-recognition and non-assistance obligations, and prevent the trade and investment that sustain illegal settlements. Gaza and the West Bank must remain territorially and politically integrated; any attempt to fragment Palestinian land into disconnected enclaves must be rejected outright.
Pakistan’s position is principled and unwavering. It supports an independent, sovereign and geographically contiguous State of Palestine, based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. E1 is a test of whether international law still means anything. The world must not fail it.
SAT Commentary
SAT Commentaries, a collection of insightful social media threads on current events and social issues, featuring diverse perspectives from various authors.
SAT Commentary
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