Israel approves settlement road near occupied East Jerusalem, further isolating Palestinians

Israel's security cabinet approved a new settlement road near occupied East Jerusalem late Saturday, paving the way for further Israeli construction in the contentious “E1” area.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and two settlement chiefs welcomed the decision on Sunday, Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported.

The project includes an underground road in the occupied West Bank, allowing Israel to move forward with plans to expand settlements in E1, an area beyond the Green Line.

While the road would link Palestinian towns, it would also separate them from the rest of the West Bank and restrict Palestinian movement on key routes between Jerusalem and the Ma'ale Adumim settlement, which would remain accessible primarily to Israelis.

According to the report, the move could facilitate the formal annexation of Ma'ale Adumim, a large settlement east of Jerusalem, with significant political implications for the West Bank.

Welcoming the cabinet's approval, Netanyahu said Sunday: “We continue to strengthen Israeli security and develop settlements.”

He added that the new road would “benefit all the area's residents by improving traffic flow and security” while serving as a “strategic transportation corridor linking Jerusalem, Ma'ale Adumim, and the Jordan Valley.”

Katz called the road's approval a “historic decision” that would “strengthen settlement expansion, security, and residents' well-being” while consolidating Israeli control over the West Bank, which he referred to as Judea and Samaria, the biblical term for the area.

He further claimed that the road project would ease traffic congestion, prevent “unnecessary friction” (between Palestinians and illegal Israeli settlers), and ensure a seamless connection between Jerusalem, Ma'ale Adumim, and the Jordan Valley.

Ma'ale Adumim settlement official Guy Yifrah hailed the decision, calling it an “unprecedented financial achievement” after the government allocated 303 million shekels ($82.25 million) for the project.

According to him, the plan includes a tunnel connecting the Palestinian towns of al-Eizariya and al-Zaim, allowing Palestinians to travel between the northern and southern West Bank without using Israeli-controlled roads.

Shai Alon, mayor of the Beit El settlement northeast of Ramallah, said the project serves a broader goal – “to impose sovereignty over all of Judea and Samaria.”

“I congratulate the government for taking a bold, just step toward Jewish settlement in E1 and burying the idea of a Palestinian state,” Alon said.

The E1 plan involves confiscating 12,000 dunams (nearly 3,000 acres) of Palestinian land to build over 4,000 settlement units and several hotels, linking Ma'ale Adumim to roads leading into West Jerusalem.

Palestinians and several countries, including European ones, warn that the project would make a two-state solution impossible by severing East Jerusalem from Palestinian areas and splitting the West Bank in two.

The plan dates back to 1994 but has faced repeated delays due to pressure from the EU and previous US administrations.

On Sunday, Hamas warned of the consequences of the Israeli decision, saying in a statement that the project aims to “further isolate Palestinian communities and strengthen settlement expansion” while pushing Palestinians out of Jerusalem.

Palestinians accuse Israel of accelerating efforts to “Judaize” East Jerusalem, including expanding settlements and displacing Palestinian residents, in violation of international law.

They insist that East Jerusalem remains the capital of their future state, citing UN resolutions that do not recognize Israel's occupation of the city since 1967 or its 1981 annexation.