Construction tenders issued for E1 settlement – UK government action needed to stop West Bank splitting
A picture taken from the E1 corridor area of the occupied West Bank shows the illegal Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, on 16 June 2020
Brian Brivati writes in Britain Palestine Project’s Substack on 23 February 2026:
Action required of HM Government
Britain should give a lead now to like-minded international partners opposed to Israeli illegal settlements by warning that bidding for tenders to build E1 risks economic consequences for the bidder. There is urgency: tenders will be opened on 16 March.
Implications for Palestinians, International Law, and Commercial Actors
Tenders for 3,401 housing units in the as yet unbuilt E1 settlement will be awarded on 16th March 2026. Any individual, corporate body, financial institution, insurer, engineering firm, contractor, subcontractor, procurement intermediary or investor considering involvement in the E1 project should understand that participation carries clear legal, commercial and reputational risk. E1 has long been identified by successive UK governments and European partners as a red line because its construction would divide the West Bank in two and render a viable Palestinian state geographically impossible. The July 2024 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice concluded that the occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful and that UN Member States must not assist in maintaining that unlawful act.
Engagement in E1 construction may therefore place companies and financial actors at risk of:
- Exclusion from UK public contracts
- Loss of commercial eligibility in the UK market
- Enhanced regulatory scrutiny
- Reputational damage
- Exposure to restrictive measures should UK policy move from condemnation to enforcement.
Due diligence obligations are heightened in this context.
Effective End of the Two-State Option