JERUSALEM/RAMALLAH, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Israel's outgoing government has issued tenders for the construction of 823 housing units in settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to documents published by the Israeli Ministry of Construction and Housing and the Civil Administration.
The move, first reported on Monday by the Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now, includes tenders to build 732 homes in Gva'ot, west of Bethlehem, and 91 in Oranit, south of Qalqilya.
The tenders come after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition lost its parliamentary majority in October's election, with opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot now seeking to form a new government.
Peace Now accused Netanyahu's outgoing government, a coalition of pro-settler parties, of rushing to establish facts on the ground before a new government takes office.
"A transition government has no mandate to advance irreversible moves in the settlements that deepen annexation," the group said, calling for the tenders to be canceled.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Liberation Organization's Commission against the Wall and Settlements said Monday that the Israeli move represents a significant step toward implementing its settlement plans on the ground.
The commission added that Israel had published at least 28 tenders for marketing land in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, between the beginning of 2026 and Nov. 8.
Also on Monday, Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin told the official Voice of Palestine radio station that he hoped for changes in the Israeli and U.S. political landscapes, while calling for international efforts to alleviate the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
More than 750,000 Israeli settlers live in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to a report by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, in settlements considered illegal under international law.
Settlement expansion has accelerated under Netanyahu's government, alongside a surge in settler violence against Palestinians. The United Nations recorded 457 settler attacks causing casualties or property damage in October, the highest monthly figure since records began in 2006. ■
