Jerusalem, Jan 7 (AP) Israel has cleared the final hurdle before starting construction on a contentious settlement project near Jerusalem that would effectively cut the West Bank in two, according to a government tender.

The tender, which seeks bids from developers, would clear the way to begin construction of the E1 project.

The anti-settlement monitoring group Peace Now first reported the tender. Yoni Mizrahi, who runs the group's settlement watch division, said initial work could begin within the month.

Settlement development in E1, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, has been under consideration for more than two decades, but was frozen due to US pressure during previous administrations.

The international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank to be illegal and an obstacle to peace.

**A controversial project The E1 project is especially contentious because it runs from the outskirts of Jerusalem deep into the occupied West Bank. Critics say it would prevent the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state in the territory.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right politician who oversees settlement policy, has long pushed for the plan to become a reality.

“The Palestinian state is being erased from the table not with slogans but with actions,” he said in August, when Israel gave final approval to the plan. “Every settlement, every neighborhood, every housing unit is another nail in the coffin of this dangerous idea.” The tender, publicly accessible on the website for Israel's Land Authority, calls for proposals to develop 3,401 housing units. Peace Now says the publication of the tender “reflects an accelerated effort to advance construction in E1.

**Israel and Syria resume US-brokered talks in Paris Syrian and Israeli officials met Tuesday in Paris for US-mediated talks intended to broker a security agreement to defuse tensions between the two countries. A joint statement issued after the meeting said it “centered on respect for Syria's sovereignty and stability, Israel's security, and prosperity for both countries.” It said the two sides have agreed to establish a joint communication cell “to facilitate immediate and ongoing coordination on their intelligence sharing, military de-escalation, diplomatic engagement, and commercial opportunities under the supervision of the United States.” The cell would serve as a platform to address disputes and “prevent misunderstandings,” it said.

In December 2024, insurgents led by Syria's now interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa ousted the country's longtime autocratic leader, Bashar Assad, in a lightning offensive.

Al-Sharaa said that he has no desire for a conflict with Israel. But Israel was suspicious of the new Islamist-led leadership and quickly moved to seize control of a formerly UN-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria set up under a 1974 disengagement agreement. Israel has also launched hundreds of airstrikes on Syrian military facilities and periodic incursions into villages outside the buffer zone, which have sometimes led to violent confrontations with residents.

Syrian officials have said their priority in the talks is the withdrawal of Israeli forces and a return to the 1974 agreement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement Tuesday that Israel “stressed the importance of ensuring security for its citizens and preventing threats on its border” and of protecting the Druze minority in Syria, which also comprises a substantial minority in Israel.

**UN says aid groups have enough food for Gazans for the first time in two years The United Nations said that aid groups have enough food on hand to sustain people in Gaza for the first time since the war began more than two years ago.

“The January round is the first since October 2023 in which partners had sufficient stock to meet 100 per cent of the minimum caloric standard,” UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Monday.

More aid has been reaching Gaza since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect on October 10.

However, the flow of humanitarian aid remains challenging amid Israel's recent decision to revoke the licenses of more than three dozen organisations, including such prominent groups as Doctors Without Borders, the Norwegian Refugee Council and Oxfam.

The European Union's foreign policy chief on Tuesday called on Israel to lift the restrictions to avert deaths from exposure, hunger and a lack of medicines, as thousands of displaced Palestinians return to what is left of their homes.

“To deliver aid rapidly, safely and at the scale required, international NGOs must be able to operate in a sustained and predictable way,” Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, said in a statement from the 27-nation bloc, referring to non-governmental organisations. (AP) RHL