West Asia

Israel has issued tenders for 732 new settler units in an illegal settlement west of Bethlehem, pressing ahead with its expansionist policies despite mounting international opposition to settlement construction and land seizures across the occupied Palestinian territories. The Palestinian anti-settlement monitoring group Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission (CWRC) said in a statement on Monday that Israeli authorities had published tenders for the construction of 732 settler units in the Gva'ot settlement, located west of Bethlehem.

According to the initial announcement published in the so-called Israel Land Authority’s registry, the tender, numbered 261/2026, includes multi-story residential buildings, as well as commercial facilities, public buildings, and institutions. The commission said an examination of the tender documents showed that bids can be submitted from December 1 to December 28. It also emphasized that this residential tender coincides with a non-residential tender, numbered 263/2026, for the same location, which pertains to land designated for commercial purposes, business activities, public institutions, and facilities.

CWRC said the issuance of the tenders marks a shift in Israel’s illegal settlement expansion from approving master plans to marketing the land, inviting companies and developers to compete for development and construction contracts. The simultaneous release of these tenders illustrates that the Israeli settlement expansion activities are not solely focused on increasing residential units; it also includes economic and service-related aspects aimed at ensuring the project's sustainability and further entrenchment on Palestinian territory in the Bethlehem Governorate.

According to official Palestinian figures, approximately 750,000 Israeli settlers live in 194 illegal settlements and 400 unauthorized outposts across the occupied West Bank, including occupied East al-Quds. Since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, Israeli military forces and settlers have carried out 62,916 assaults targeting Palestinians, their land and property across the occupied West Bank, including East al-Quds, CWRC reported.

In June, 14 UN special rapporteurs warned that the sharp rise in “settler terrorism,” carried out with the support and complicity of Israeli officials in the occupied Palestinian territory, posed an existential threat to Palestinian communities.