Israel's land authority on July 12 published tenders for the construction of 627 new housing units in the Kochav Yaakov settlement in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Commission Against Settlements and the Wall (CRRC).
According to CRRC, the project covers an area of 253.7 dunams (about 25.37 hectares) in the Ramallah and al-Bireh governorate. The land was approved by the Israeli government on April 27, 2025, and the tender announcement marks a shift from the planning phase to the "marketing and implementation" stage of construction.
Israel has set November 30 as the deadline for construction companies to submit bids, moving the project from approval to construction in just 15 months.
CRRC criticized the settlement expansion, saying the move is designed to "deepen the separation between Jerusalem and the surrounding Palestinian areas." The Kochav Yaakov settlement lies between northern Jerusalem and the cities of Ramallah and al-Bireh, within a settlement bloc Israel administers under the name "Binyamin."
The new housing units are expected to expand the settlement's built-up area and strengthen connections with neighboring settlements and the road network. CRRC says the decision reflects growing investment in the economic infrastructure of settlements, not just housing.
This is one of several decisions CRRC has documented this year aimed at tightening control and pressure on Palestinian territory. In the first half of 2026, Israel announced 12 illegal settlement tenders for 1,138 housing units concentrated in five main settlements, plus separate tenders for industrial zones, offices, nursing homes, and tourist facilities.
Settlement expansion and settler violence have surged across the West Bank this year. Palestinian monitors have recorded more than 11,000 attacks by Israeli forces and settlers across the West Bank since January 2026.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has repeatedly stressed that Israeli settlements have "no legal validity" and constitute a "flagrant violation" of international law. A 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) also declared Israel's continued occupation of Palestinian territory unlawful.
