UK Summons Israeli Envoy Over 'Destructive' E1 Settlement Tender as Palestinians Condemn 1,234-Unit Plan

The Israeli government's August 18, 2026 tender for 1,234 new housing units in the E1 settlement corridor east of Jerusalem — part of a wider plan for over 3,400 units on roughly 12 square kilometers of West Bank land, with bidding closing October 19 — drew sharp international condemnation on August 19. UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband called the tender 'an unacceptable and destructive act' that undermines Palestinian statehood prospects, and the UK summoned Israel's charge d'affaires while threatening sanctions against those involved in illegal settlement expansion. The Palestinian Authority's Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission warned the project would confine Palestinians to 'disconnected enclaves surrounded by settlements.' Israeli NGOs Peace Now and Ir Amim said the E1 corridor — which would sever East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank — threatens the Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar with expulsion and would create 'irreversible facts on the ground.'