After over 30 years of promises and international pressure, Israel has launched the marketing of approximately 1,400 housing units in the E1 area, according to a report from The Zioneer. The plan creates an Israeli settlement continuity between Ma'ale Adumim and Jerusalem. Ma'ale Adumim Mayor Guy Yifrach called it 'one of the greatest achievements for Israel and Ma'ale Adumim.' The move has drawn past Western warnings that it would divide the Palestinian territories.
Israel has launched the marketing of approximately 1,400 housing units in the E1 area, a strategic corridor between Jerusalem and Ma'ale Adumim. The move culminates over 30 years of planning and diplomatic pressure, during which successive Israeli governments sought to advance the project. The E1 plan, once fully built, would create a continuous Israeli municipal zone from Jerusalem to Ma'ale Adumim, bridging the capital with one of its largest suburban communities in Judea.
Ma'ale Adumim Mayor Guy Yifrach hailed the step as 'one of the greatest achievements for Israel and Ma'ale Adumim, turning a vision into reality today.' The development has drawn sharp criticism from Western governments in the past, which warned that building in E1 would 'divide the West Bank in two' and undermine Palestinian territorial contiguity. Past US administrations actively opposed the plan.
The launch comes as the government has also advanced other settlement initiatives in recent months. As The Zioneer reported, the government has approved plans for 34 new settlements across Judea and Samaria, allocated NIS 1 billion for infrastructure and access roads, and launched a major road plan for dozens of communities. The E1 marketing represents one of the most symbolically and strategically significant steps in Israeli settlement policy in years, given the area's location and the long-standing international opposition.
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