Israel Postpones E1 Housing Tender Until After Elections

The Israeli Attorney General's office has ordered a one-month postponement of the tender for the construction of 1,234 housing units in the E1 area, located between Jerusalem and the settlement of Ma'ale Adumim. The tender will now be published only after the upcoming Knesset elections.

The decision to delay the tender, which was slated for immediate release, was made due to its timing during the election period. This move has drawn sharp criticism from the Ma'ale Adumim municipality, which announced its intention to appeal the decision.

Ma'ale Adumim Mayor Guy Yifrah condemned the postponement, calling it a "red line" and a "politically significant intervention." He argued that while construction tenders are proceeding elsewhere in Israel, this project, which has been stalled for decades, is being halted. Yifrah emphasized that the decision to advance the E1 project was made months before the election campaign began and that the tender process had been proceeding professionally.

The E1 plan has been a subject of international controversy for years, with global pressure mounting against construction in the strategically sensitive area. The municipality stated it would not accept the decision and would use all legal means to ensure the tender proceeds, highlighting the long wait of over 30 years for the project and the needs of young couples and families.