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New illegal settlement tender in West Bank deepens Israeli efforts to sever Palestinian ties to Jerusalem, officials warn.

Israeli authorities have issued a tender for 627 new housing units in the Kochav Yaakov settlement in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission (CRRC).

The Israel Land Authority on Thursday published the tender for the project, which will be built on land in the Ramallah and al-Bireh governorate, the commission said on Saturday.

Israel set November 30 as the deadline for construction companies to submit bids, moving the project from planning to construction just 15 months after it was first approved, it said.

CRRC slammed the expansion, saying it is designed to “deepen the separation between Jerusalem and its Palestinian surroundings”.

The illegal Israeli settlement of Kochav Yaakov sits between northern Jerusalem and the twin cities of Ramallah and el-Bireh, within a cluster of settlements Israel administers under the name “Binyamin”.

According to CRRC, the new project covers 253.7 dunams (25.37 hectares or about 63 acres) and was approved by Israeli authorities on April 27, 2025.

It says the tender marks the transition from planning to the “marketing and implementation” stage of settlement construction, with the new units expected to expand the illegal settlement’s built-up area and strengthen its links to nearby settlements and access roads. It added that the decision reflects growing investment in settlements’ economic infrastructure, not just housing.

The Israeli decision is one of several the commission has tracked this year aimed at tightening Israel’s illegal control and pressure on the Palestinian region.

According to CRRC, Israeli authorities have made 12 illegal settlement tenders in the first half of 2026, including 1,138 housing units concentrated in five main settlements, alongside a separate wave of tenders for industrial zones, offices, nursing homes and tourism facilities.

Illegal settlement expansion and settler violence have surged dramatically across the occupied West Bank this year. Palestinian monitors have recorded more than 11,000 attacks by Israeli forces and settlers across the West Bank since January 2026.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has repeatedly said Israeli settlements have “no legal validity” and constitute a “flagrant violation” of international law.

A 2024 International Court of Justice advisory opinion deemed Israel’s continued occupation of Palestinian territory unlawful.

July 30 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s military began inspecting front-line Army units Thursday after a corps changed its guard procedures and stopped loading live ammunition into heavy weapons deployed near the border with North Korea.

The review follows concerns that the change could weaken the military’s ability to respond quickly during an emergency.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the Army Ground Operations Command began an on-site inspection of the 1st Corps on Thursday and plans to examine other front-line corps under its command.

Military officials will consider additional measures after completing the inspections.

The Ground Operations Command oversees five regional corps – the Capital, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th corps – as well as the 7th Maneuver Corps. The inspections will cover front-line units in some of the five regional corps.

The 1st Corps, which is responsible for the western section of the inter-Korean border, reportedly changed its procedures during the first half of this year.

Under the revised procedures, soldiers at guard posts and general outposts did not load live ammunition into crew-served weapons, including K6 heavy machine guns and K4 automatic grenade launchers.

The ammunition was instead stored in ammunition boxes near the weapons.

South Korean front-line units are generally required to keep live ammunition loaded in weapons used for guard operations. The 1st Corps reportedly made an exception under the authority of its commander, Lt. Gen. Han Ki-sung.

The measure was reportedly intended to prevent accidental discharges, but critics said it could delay the military’s response to a North Korean attack or other emergency in the heavily fortified border area.

Questions have also been raised about whether Han’s decision was influenced by an accidental discharge that occurred while he commanded the Army’s 25th Infantry Division last year.

During that incident, a K6 machine gun round was accidentally fired toward North Korea while soldiers at a general outpost were inspecting the weapon.

A military official said inspectors would examine whether it was appropriate for a commander to change ammunition-loading procedures at his discretion, along with other operational issues.

“The use of firearms at front-line guard posts and general outposts is based on the principle that live ammunition must be loaded,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

The military said it would take necessary action after examining units operating under exceptions to that rule.

Detailed information cannot be disclosed because of operational security, it said.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260730010011169