Court approves tender for new homes to be built in E1, legal challenge remains open

The Jerusalem District Court approved a tender for 1,234 homes to be built in the E1 area on Tuesday, though it did not rule on the legality of the construction plans. This means the government can continue seeking developers, but the ruling is not final authorization for construction. Three petitions against the E1 plans are still pending before the court, which could still cancel or alter them.

E1, located between Jerusalem and Maaleh Adumim, is a disputed construction site in the West Bank. Proponents argue it will strengthen the link between Maaleh Adumim and Jerusalem, while opponents claim it would disrupt Palestinian territorial continuity and separate East Jerusalem from nearby Palestinian communities. Judge Nimrod Flax turned down a request to halt the tender, saying no urgent harm would occur before a court ruling, as construction is still far away.

Contractors have until October 19 to bid for the project, and the court is expected to decide the petitions before any physical changes take place. The state has assured it will not later argue the tender has progressed too far for legal intervention. Palestinian residents and groups filed the petitions, claiming the tender would attract private developers and make it harder to stop.

They also accused the government of hastening the project before the October 27 election. The state acknowledged an internal error in not notifying the petitioners but argued the mistake was informal and did not warrant halting the tender. Maaleh Adumim Municipality, which opposed a freeze, shared aerial photos showing the tender area is empty.

The court's ruling focused solely on whether the tender needed to be paused while the petitions are examined, leaving the broader legal challenges unresolved.