Israel's outgoing government has published tenders to build 823 homes in two settlements in the occupied West Bank, settlement watchdogs said on Monday, in the latest expansion of construction on occupied land.

The Housing Ministry and the Civil Administration issued tenders for 732 units in Gva'ot, west of Bethlehem, and 91 units in Oranit, south of Qalqilya, in recent days, the watchdog Peace Now said.

The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said Israeli authorities had published tender 261/2026 for the first phase of the Gva'ot project, covering multi-storey residential buildings as well as commercial facilities, public buildings and institutions. Bids can be submitted from 1 December to 28 December, the commission said after examining the tender documents.

What the tenders cover

The residential tender for Gva'ot was published alongside a non-residential tender, numbered 263/2026, for the same site, covering land designated for commercial use, business activity and public institutions.

In Oranit, the tenders cover 86 apartments in a high-rise residential project and five further units in low-rise buildings. Tender 224/2026, published on 5 November, covers four plots for the 86 units, with bidding due to open on 15 November and close on 21 December. A second tender, 228/2026, published on 3 November, covers three plots for the five low-rise units.

The commission stressed that publication of a tender does not mean construction has begun or that a contract has been awarded. Building can only start after the contracting process and the issuing of permits, which can take a year or more.

Expansion since the Knesset dissolved

Peace Now said the latest tenders bring the total number of settlement units put out to tender since the Knesset was dissolved on 18 July to 3,767, including 1,234 units in the E1 project east of Jerusalem.

The tenders follow the election on 27 October, in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition lost its majority. The outgoing government remains in office while opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, who has been given the mandate to form the next government, tries to assemble a coalition.

Israel captured the West Bank, along with the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, in the 1967 war. The United Nations regards Israeli settlements built in the occupied West Bank as illegal under international law, a position Israel disputes. More than 100 settlements have been built across the territory, alongside a large number of outposts.

Palestinian officials and settlement watchdogs say the Gva'ot expansion would further restrict the development of the nearby Palestinian city of Bethlehem, while the Oranit tenders would extend a settlement close to the Palestinian city of Qalqilya.