Khaled Yousef and Tarek Chouiref
28 September 2026•Update: 28 September 2026
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich demanded Sunday that a planned tender for 2,167 settlement units in the E1 area east of occupied East Jerusalem proceed before next month’s Knesset election.
The Israeli government’s legal adviser, Gali Baharav-Miara, ordered the bidding deadline postponed by one month, pushing further steps in the tender beyond the Oct. 27 vote, the Israeli news website Kikar HaShabbat reported.
The decision was aimed at avoiding government action that could interfere with the election period, according to the report.
Smotrich called for the delay to be reversed, arguing that the tender was part of a process launched well before the election campaign.
He also accused Baharav-Miara of interfering in the election and acting in favor of Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, who has opposed the E1 construction plan.
“Stopping the tender turns the issue into part of the election campaign,” Smotrich said, according to Israel’s Channel 7.
He vowed not to allow the delay to stand.
Israeli authorities had planned to open bids for the 2,167 units on Oct. 25. A separate tender for 1,234 units was issued in August, bringing the total under the E1 project to 3,401 units.
The E1 project seeks to connect the illegal Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim with occupied East Jerusalem through Palestinian land.