The Israel Lands Authority, which manages most of the lands in Israel, on Tuesday announced it would market to contractors and entrepreneurs the first 1,400 housing units of E1 (“East 1”), a strategically significant area in Judea and Samaria. Contractors who win the bids will construct the units.
The importance of E1 lies in its location. The 12-square-kilometer (4.6-sq.-mile) area sits between Ma’ale Adumim, a Jewish city of about 40,000 in the Judean Desert, and Jerusalem.
Once built up, E1 will connect Ma’ale Adumim to the capital, forming a larger metropolis, preventing the Palestinian Authority from surrounding Jerusalem with its own metropolis, which would include Ramallah, eastern parts of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. (The P.A. intends to wrest from Israel eastern sections of Jerusalem for its own future capital.)
Israeli security analysts have long warned that Jerusalem will become a border town if the surrounding Arab settlement is allowed to continue unhindered. The answer, they say, is E1, which would protect Jerusalem, drive a wedge through the nearly contiguous Arab settlement enveloping it and ensure Jewish territorial contiguity eastward to the Jordan Valley.
AFSI Insight
AFSI welcomes the marketing of the first 1,400 housing units in the E1 corridor, a strategically vital area connecting Jerusalem with Ma’ale Adumim. This is more than a housing project—it strengthens Israel’s presence in Judea and Samaria, reinforces Jerusalem’s security and territorial continuity, and prevents the creation of a Palestinian corridor that could threaten Israel’s capital. AFSI has long advocated for development and sovereignty in this critical area, and views moving E1 from planning to actual construction as an important step toward securing Israel’s future.
Source:
Israel markets first 1,400 units in strategic E1 corridor, by David Isaac/JNS, August 19, 2026