Smotrich accuses attorney general of blocking E1 tender to help opposition win Israel’s election

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionist Party, accused Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara of election interference after she decided on Sunday to postpone by one month a tender for the construction of 1,234 homes in E1, a strategic area in Judea.

“She intervenes in the election campaign, works for Gadi Eisenkot [of the Yashar party] who announced that he would stop the construction in order to enable the establishment of a Palestinian state, a terror state in the heart of Israel. I’m not prepared to allow this to happen,” Smotrich posted to his X account on Sunday.

He called on Justice Supreme Court Deputy President Noam Sohlberg, the Central Elections Committee chairman, to ensure that Baharav-Miara and her office do not become “active players” in the election, throwing their support to the left and preventing the right from forming a government.

Baharav-Miara directed that the tender be postponed as it is scheduled for Oct. 19 and may have an improper impact on the results of the election to be held on Oct. 27.

The Israel Lands Authority, which manages most of the land in Israel, announced the E1 construction tender on Aug. 16.

The importance of E1 lies in its location. The 12-square-kilometer (4.6-sq.-mile) in an undeveloped area within the municipal boundaries of Ma’ale Adumim, an Israeli city of about 40,000 in the Judean Desert, is located between the developed area of Ma’ale Adumim and Jerusalem. The Ma’ale Adumim municipality petitioned the Supreme Court, sitting as the High Court of Justice, against the attorney general’s decision.