Israel Opens Bids for 2,167 Illegal E1 Settlement Homes Dec. 1
(MENAFN) Israel will launch a tender on Dec. 1 for 2,167 illegal settlement homes in the E1 area east of occupied East Jerusalem, three Israeli rights groups announced Tuesday.
Ir Amim, Bimkom and Peace Now said bidders will have until Dec. 28 to submit offers. The groups called the schedule proof that the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is determined to push the project forward for as long as it holds power.
The organizations reported that homes were demolished, and further demolition orders issued on Nov. 3, in a Palestinian Bedouin community inside the project zone. They cautioned that construction preparations had begun even before the bidding opened.
A separate tender covering another 1,234 illegal settlement homes in E1 closed shortly before the Oct. 27 election. On the attorney general’s instructions, the review of those bids was pushed back to Nov. 19 to keep them out of campaign politics.
The groups said they petitioned the attorney general on Monday to hold off on that review until a new government is sworn in. Once bids are evaluated and contracts signed, they warned, halting construction would become far more difficult.
If completed, E1 would sever occupied East Jerusalem from Palestinian communities to the east and fracture territorial links between the northern and southern West Bank.
The project has met broad international opposition, with governments cautioning that it endangers the prospects of a viable Palestinian state.
Ir Amim, Bimkom and Peace Now said bidders will have until Dec. 28 to submit offers. The groups called the schedule proof that the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is determined to push the project forward for as long as it holds power.
The organizations reported that homes were demolished, and further demolition orders issued on Nov. 3, in a Palestinian Bedouin community inside the project zone. They cautioned that construction preparations had begun even before the bidding opened.
A separate tender covering another 1,234 illegal settlement homes in E1 closed shortly before the Oct. 27 election. On the attorney general’s instructions, the review of those bids was pushed back to Nov. 19 to keep them out of campaign politics.
The groups said they petitioned the attorney general on Monday to hold off on that review until a new government is sworn in. Once bids are evaluated and contracts signed, they warned, halting construction would become far more difficult.
If completed, E1 would sever occupied East Jerusalem from Palestinian communities to the east and fracture territorial links between the northern and southern West Bank.
The project has met broad international opposition, with governments cautioning that it endangers the prospects of a viable Palestinian state.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any
responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos,
licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues
related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Comments
No comment