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Israel's housing ministry opened tenders for 1,234 settlement homes in the E1 corridor of the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, advancing a project critics say would effectively bisect Palestinian territory. Bids close on 19 October, days before Israel's general election scheduled for 27 October.

The Palestinian Authority condemned the move, while the advocacy group Peace Now accused the government of trying to bury the two-state solution. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the idea of a Palestinian state was "being erased." The broader E1 plan envisions more than 3,400 homes on roughly 12 square kilometres between East Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement bloc.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed deep concern over the tender, and Germany, France, Italy, and the UK warned companies against involvement in E1 construction. The project threatens to disconnect dozens of Bedouin communities, including Khan al-Ahmar.

Poland has imposed an entry ban on Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, joining Ireland, France, Spain and Slovenia in restricting his travel, after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned the minister's calls for nightly targeted killings in Gaza.

The German government denied claims it blocked sanctions against Ben Gvir at the last EU summit, while the Czech Republic had opposed placing him on the bloc's sanctions list. SPD parliamentary manager Dirk Wiese called for both Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to be added to EU sanctions.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is advancing 1,200 new housing units in the West Bank, with the tender deadline for the controversial E1 settlement project set for October 19.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sharply condemned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's calls for targeted killings in Gaza, with government spokesman Sebastian Hille calling the statements inhumane and a violation of international law. Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil demanded serious evaluation of EU-level sanctions, while Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is examining national options.

The issue will be discussed at an informal EU foreign ministers meeting in early September, where EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas will present new proposals. Any bloc-wide sanctions, which would include entry bans and asset freezes, require unanimous approval from member states — an effort the Czech Republic recently blocked.

Greens leader Franziska Brantner called for Germany to ban Ben Gvir's entry, noting Ireland, France, Spain and Slovenia have already done so. The meeting will also address responses to Israeli settlement policy in the West Bank.

Mykhailo Fedorov, the former Ukrainian defence minister dismissed in July, has demanded that Ukraine hold elections despite the ongoing war with Russia, marking the first such call by a prominent Ukrainian politician since the 2022 invasion.

In a video address on Tuesday evening, Fedorov argued that democracy "cannot be held hostage by Russia" and urged the government to find a legal, secure and realistic mechanism to restore full democratic processes even during a prolonged war. He described the situation as a systemic governance crisis, noting the difficulty of ensuring safe voting for military personnel, the diaspora and frontline communities.

Fedorov's mid-July dismissal triggered mass protests across Ukraine that continued into August. President Volodymyr Zelensky has since nominated Yevhen Khmara as defence minister and replaced army chief Oleksandr Syrsky with Mykhailo Drapatyi, appointments still awaiting parliamentary approval.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has submitted nominations to parliament to appoint Yevhen Khmara as defence minister and Andrii Sybiha as foreign minister, with a vote scheduled for Wednesday.

Khmara, who has served as acting defence minister since July after previously leading the SBU security service, would formally replace Mykhailo Fedorov. Zelenskyy told lawmakers the change was driven by persistent disputes between Fedorov and armed forces commander Oleksandr Syrskyi. The reshuffle proved turbulent: Zelenskyy initially favoured Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko for the defence post but shifted plans amid public protests, ultimately dismissing Syrskyi as well and moving Klymenko to the national security council.

Fedorov, a popular figure, rejected alternative posts offered by Zelenskyy, insisting he would accept nothing less than a return to his former role.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas will propose the most far-reaching sanctions list against Russia since the start of the war this autumn, she told Die Welt, aiming to increase the number of sanctioned Russian entities by a third.

Kallas said existing EU measures have already cost Russia's war machine more than one trillion euros. The bloc currently sanctions around 3,000 individuals and entities, a figure that would rise sharply if the new package is adopted. She [accused Moscow of