Israel Issues Tender for 627 Settler Homes Near Jerusalem

Israel's Land Authority has issued a tender for 627 new housing units at the Kochav Yaakov settlement, a site situated between northern Jerusalem and Ramallah, with bids due by November 30. Palestinian monitors say the project, one of 12 settlement tenders issued in the West Bank this year covering over 1,100 units, is designed to sever East Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings and cement Israeli control over territory central to biblical Judea. The ongoing expansion and dispute over this land reflect the unresolved struggle over Jerusalem and the covenant land described throughout Scripture as central to Israel's future.