One Week After Advancement of Settlement Plans in Greater Jerusalem, Plans for Road Infrastructure in the Area are Deposited

These plans are part of the large-scale road infrastructure projects that the Israeli government is constructing in order to expand the settlements around Jerusalem and connect them to the city. This road infrastructure is a crucial part of the Israeli plan to solidify its control of the so-called "Greater Jerusalem" area and, at the same time, break the integrity of the Palestinian space around East Jerusalem into a series of enclaves.

The road plans are being deposited only a week after the Civil Administration advanced numerous outline plans for settlements in the Greater Jerusalem area and the whole of the West Bank. This demonstrates the speed at which Israel is advancing de facto annexation – specifically in the "Greater Jerusalem" area.

TPS YOSH-938 is for Road 385 (the Al-Walaja bypass road) which links the Har Gilo settlement to Jerusalem and serves settler traffic between the city and the settlements of the Gush Etsion Regional Council in the Bethlehem area.

The direct reason for the expansion of the road is the intention to construct a new settlement, Har Gilo West, of 560 housing units (TPS 401-4-1) on Al-Walaja land adjacent to the road.  However, the existing road was constructed on the basis of a military seizure order and therefore it cannot be used as an access road to the new settlement. TPS YOSH-938 is needed in order to replace the military seizure, as explained in greater detail in an Ir Amim alert in August.

Har Gilo West will complete the encircling of Al-Walaja from all directions and - along with other takeovers of land and increased home demolitions - will put the future of Al-Walaja  at risk.
For a full analysis of the new planned settlement and the threats facing Al-Walaja please see Ir Amim's alert from last week.

TPS YOSH-926-1 Connecting the Settlements Northeast of Jerusalem to the City through a Tunnel Under the Qalandia Checkpoint

TPS YOSH-926-1 is for a new road which will serve the settlements northeast of Jerusalem, an area which Prime Minister Netanyahu calls "the fourth settlement bloc" of Greater Jerusalem.

The road will connect Road 60 (northeast of Jerusalem) to Road 443, inside Jerusalem and it will pass under the Qalandia checkpoint via a tunnel. Among the settlement plans advanced last week were plans for the expansion of Kochav Yaakov, Psagot. Beth-El, and Geva-Binyamin - all of which will be served by the new road.

The road is planned to run in the area between A-Ram, Qalanadia and Ramallah, where today there is no presence of Israeli settlers.

For further details on the road please see Ir Amim's alert from August