Nazareth – Saba:
The Israeli government has approved a project to pave strategic roads east of occupied Al-Quds, aiming to strengthen the connection between settlements in the area known as E1, a move that effectively seeks to undermine Palestinian geographic contiguity.
The Israeli government said in a statement on Sunday that the Israeli Political and Security Council (the cabinet) approved a plan submitted by Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz on Saturday evening. The plan aims to pave new roads in the occupied Al-Quds area to connect and expand settlements, specifically around the Ma'ale Adumim settlement.
According to the Palestinian Information Center, the decision aims to strengthen settlements located in the area known as E1 and aims to separate the northern and southern West Bank.
The decision includes the construction of two main roads. The first is a road connecting the villages of al-Eizariya and al-Za'im, designated for Palestinian vehicle traffic without passing through the Ma'ale Adumim settlement bloc. The plan is intended to reduce congestion on Route 1 and relieve pressure on the al-Za'im checkpoint. The second road concerns the planning of what is known as "Alternative Route 80," a new bypass east of Ma'ale Adumim. It will connect Al-Eizariya with the area near the village of Khan al-Ahmar, east of occupied Al-Quds.
According to a statement by the Israeli government, the road will constitute an additional alternative to Route 1, connecting the Bethlehem area to the city of Jericho and the Jordan Valley, strengthening Israeli control over the main roads of the West Bank.
According to the statement, the decision was made based on security recommendations from the Israeli army, which deemed that the security conditions that arose during the war of extermination on Gaza "require the construction of these roads," a reference to a shooting incident that occurred near the Al-Za'im checkpoint during the war on Gaza.
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