Israel issued a tender for the construction of nearly 1,000 additional settler homes in the West Bank, an anti-settlement watchdog said Monday. Peace Now says the development of 974 new housing units would allow the population of Efrat to expand by 40% and further block the development of the nearby Palestinian city of Bethlehem. Hagit Ofran, who leads the group's settlement monitoring, said construction can begin after the contracting process and issuing of permits, which could take another year at least.