The announcement Israel would open up tenders for the construction of some 1,200 settlement homes in the West Bank has drawn fresh international outcry.
For decades, Israel has held off on pushing ahead with plans to construct the E1 settlement to the east of Jerusalem as Palestinian advocates insisted the land was essential to the formation of a future independent state.
However, the rise of hard-right, pro-settlement members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet has increasingly seen pressure mount on the Israeli Prime Minister to sign off on the project.
Construction tenders were finalised in January, prompting a legal challenge from Palestinian residents and Israeli peace groups, with Israel’s government announcing bidding for the right to build 1,234 of the 3,401 planned housing units was officially opening on Wednesday.
How has the project been received?
