By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
Israel opened bidding on August 18 for 1,234 housing units in the E1 settlement project east of Jerusalem, advancing a development long opposed by Türkiye and Egypt over its potential to sever Palestinian territorial links between East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Bids are due by October 19.
The tender covers about a third of the 3,401 housing units approved for E1. The project lies between East Jerusalem and Maale Adumim, where large-scale construction has repeatedly faced international opposition because of the area's location between the northern and southern West Bank.
Three Israeli organizations, Peace Now, Ir Amim and Bimkom, joined Palestinian residents on August 20 in asking the Jerusalem District Court to freeze the tender while an existing legal challenge is heard. No hearing date had been announced.
Egypt Singled Out E1 Before the Tender
Egypt had put E1 on its diplomatic agenda before bidding opened.
Speaking at an Arab ministerial meeting on Jerusalem in Amman on August 5, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty called for action against Israeli settlement expansion and identified E1 as a project that would divide the West Bank into northern and southern sections.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Cairo also opposed measures it viewed as de facto annexation and rejected attempts to alter the status of East Jerusalem or displace Palestinians.
Türkiye's Opposition Predates the Latest Move
Türkiye formally rejected Israel's approval of the E1 plan in August 2025.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said construction in the area would effectively separate the West Bank from East Jerusalem and undermine the territorial basis of a viable Palestinian state.
That position resurfaced this month in a broader regional statement. On August 6, Türkiye, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates rejected further Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and unilateral measures affecting the status of East Jerusalem. The ministers also opposed attempts to annex occupied Palestinian territory or extend Israeli sovereignty over it.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on August 20 that he had spoken separately with Abdelatty and his Saudi counterpart about the Gaza peace plan and possible steps by the three countries. Türkiye's account of the call did not say E1 was discussed.
E1 in brief: E1 is a roughly 12-square-kilometer area east of Jerusalem, between East Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim. Plans for thousands of homes there have remained politically sensitive for decades because of the area's position across one of the main geographic links between the northern and southern West Bank.
Large-scale construction has repeatedly drawn international opposition. Palestinians and many governments argue that development across E1 would further restrict territorial continuity between East Jerusalem and the West Bank and make a contiguous future Palestinian state harder to establish. Israel has maintained that Maale Adumim and its surrounding development zone form part of its Jerusalem-area planning.
E1 Moves Into the Bidding Phase
The August 18 tender gives the E1 dispute a new timetable.
Previous opposition had centered on planning approvals and the decision to permit thousands of homes. The new tender invites bids for the first 1,234 units, bringing part of the project closer to construction.
Peace Now said the tender was issued while a legal challenge remained unresolved. Human Rights Watch separately confirmed the August 18 opening and the number of units offered.
The dispute now rests on a concrete procurement process rather than another planning decision. Ankara has already rejected the E1 project, Cairo named it directly in its August 5 warning, and the tender places the first 1,234 homes on a schedule extending to October.
Sources: Türkiye's Foreign Ministry, Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Peace Now, Human Rights Watch, Bosphorus News review and reporting.