Israel refused London's call to halt a 1,200-home tender in the strategic E1 corridor, while a new report said settler violence has emptied over a hundred Palestinian communities since 2023.
The Israeli housing ministry issued a tender for the construction of 1,234 housing units in the strategically placed E1 area east of Jerusalem. The tender, covering part of the 3,401 units approved last August across 12 square kilometres, has a bid deadline of October 19. The timing places the closing date just days before Israel's general election on October 27.[1]
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband called the tender an unacceptable act and the Foreign Office summoned Israel's charge d'affaires, demanding the plans be halted. London also promised to set out measures in the coming weeks, including sanctions targeting those involved in settlement expansion. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rejected the demand and the patronising tone, arguing that Britain was blaming only Israel while ignoring Palestinian extremism.[1], [2]
The diplomatic clash coincided with a Human Rights Watch report stating that 107 Palestinian communities have been wholly or partly emptied since January 2023. The organisation, which examined seven West Bank communities in April and May 2026, said that about 5,900 Palestinians lived in those affected areas. Sarah Sanbar, the organisation's researcher, stated that the Israeli government and the settlers share the same goal of maximum land and minimum Palestinians.[3]
