According to the BBC, Israel has opened tenders for about 1,200 settlement homes in the E1 area east of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, a move that critics say would make a Palestinian state far harder to establish. The housing ministry issued a tender for 1,234 of 3,401 housing units approved last August, covering about 12 sq km between East Jerusalem and the settlement of Maale Adumim.

The deadline for bids is 19 October, days before Israel's general election on 27 October, which could make any future reversal more difficult. Opponents, including Peace Now and Palestinian activists, said the project would split the West Bank in two, isolate East Jerusalem and affect more than 40 Bedouin communities.