Arabic version: إسرائيل تطرح عطاءً لبناء 627 وحدة استيطانية في الضفة الغربية
According to Al Jazeera, Israeli authorities have issued a tender for 627 new housing units in the Kochav Yaakov settlement in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission (CRRC) said the Israel Land Authority published the tender on Thursday for a project on land in the Ramallah and al-Bireh governorate.
Israel set November 30 as the deadline for construction companies to submit bids, the commission said. It said the tender moves the project from planning to construction 15 months after it was first approved. Israeli authorities approved the project on April 27, 2025, according to the CRRC.
The commission said the project covers 253.7 dunams, or 25.37 hectares, about 63 acres. Kochav Yaakov is located between northern Jerusalem and the twin cities of Ramallah and el-Bireh, within a cluster of settlements administered by Israel under the name Binyamin.
CRRC said the tender represents a shift to the “marketing and implementation” stage of settlement construction. It said the units are expected to expand the settlement’s built-up area, strengthen links to nearby settlements and access roads, and reflect investment in economic infrastructure as well as housing. The commission said the expansion is intended to “deepen the separation between Jerusalem and its Palestinian surroundings”.
According to the CRRC, Israeli authorities issued 12 settlement tenders in the first half of 2026, covering 1,138 housing units in five main settlements, alongside tenders for industrial zones, offices, nursing homes and tourism facilities. Palestinian monitors have recorded more than 11,000 attacks by Israeli forces and settlers across the West Bank since January 2026. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said Israeli settlements have “no legal validity” and are a “flagrant violation” of international law.
