Tel Aviv: Israeli authorities have invited tenders for the construction of 627 new housing units in the Kokhav Yaakov settlement in the occupied West Bank, drawing flak from Palestinian authorities that the project is aimed at further separating Jerusalem from surrounding Palestinian areas.
The project will be built on land in the Ramallah and al-Bireh governorate. Construction companies have until November 30 to submit bids, according to the Palestinian Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission (CRRC), which said the Israel Land Authority published the tender on Thursday.
The CRRC said Israeli authorities approved the project on April 27 last year and that, 15 months later, it has now moved from the planning stage to construction. The development covers 253.7 dunams, or 25.37 hectares, equivalent to about 63 acres.
According to the commission, the new homes will expand the built-up area of Kokhav Yaakov and strengthen its links with neighbouring settlements and access roads. The settlement lies between northern Jerusalem and the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and al-Bireh and is part of the settlement bloc Israel refers to as Binyamin.
The CRRC alleged that the project extends beyond housing construction and forms part of broader investment in the economic infrastructure of settlements. Tenders have also been issued this year for industrial zones, offices, nursing homes and tourism facilities, it said.
During the first half of this year alone, Israeli authorities reportedly invited tenders for 12 settlement projects covering 1,138 housing units across five major settlement areas.
Palestinian observers have also recorded more than 11,000 attacks by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank since January 2026.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has repeatedly said Israeli settlements in the West Bank have no legal validity under international law. The International Court of Justice likewise ruled in its 2024 advisory opinion that Israel's continued occupation of Palestinian territories is unlawful.