After government criticism of the High Court’s decision to freeze construction in the E1 area until after the election, the Israel Land Authority decided to postpone opening the tender box—but not the submission of bids.
The Israel Land Authority published an update Thursday to the tender for 1,234 housing units in the controversial E1 area. According to the update, the final deadline for submitting bids remains October 19, 2026, but the tender committee will not open the bid box or review proposals before November 19, 2026.
The move is designed to circumvent the High Court ruling and the Attorney General’s directive. According to reports, the Attorney General ordered the bid opening postponed by a month to prevent the tender from being used as part of election campaigning, so the box would only be opened after the election scheduled for October 27, 2026.
This effectively creates a situation where the tender itself remains valid, and contractors can submit bids before the election, but the announcement of winners will be delayed until afterward. The move is drawing sharp criticism from left-wing organizations. The far-left movement Peace Now attacked the decision and said the tender should be canceled entirely.
According to the left-wing organization that supports establishing a ‘Palestinian’ state, postponing the opening of the tender box doesn’t change the fundamental fact that Israel’s government seeks “to prevent at all costs the chance for peace and a two-state solution.” The organization claims that even at the new date set for opening the tender box, there’s still a strong chance that contracts with contractors will be signed before a new government is formed, and the incoming government will face a fait accompli that’s much harder to change.