OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), The Israeli district court in the occupied holy city has rejected an attempt by rights groups to freeze tenders for the construction of settler homes in the E1 area of east Jerusalem.
The court said in its ruling on Tuesday that it dismissed petitions aimed at stalling the publication of tenders for the construction of seven residential compounds composed of 1,234 units for Jewish settlers in the E1 area.
The petitions against the plan are still under review, but the court ruled that the tenders can move forward as planned in the meantime.
The court verdict follows petitions filed last August by anti-settlement Israeli organizations, including Ir Amim, Bimkom, and Peace Now, alongside Palestinian residents. The petitioners called for the tender to be frozen, arguing that issuing it without prior notice violated a previous commitment.
The move is part of Israel’s plan to create the so-called “E1” area on a vast tract of Palestinian land, ultimately creating a continuous Israeli settlement “corridor” between east Jerusalem and the large illegal settlement of Ma’ale Adumim.
This would further disrupt Palestinian movement between the northern and southern West Bank, and isolate communities on each side.
The construction of these units would also break the territorial contiguity of any future Palestinian state, according to the organizations.
