The Israeli occupation authorities have notified the lawyer representing the Bedouin communities and the municipality of al Eizariya, east of occupied Jerusalem, of their intention to begin implementing the settlement project known as “Fabric of Life”, following 45 days from the date of notification.
The Jerusalem Governorate, affiliated with the Palestinian Authority, said on Thursday that the Israeli authorities officially informed the lawyer of the Bedouin communities and the municipality of al-Eizariya of their intention to start implementing the settlement project after a 45-day grace period from the date of the notice.
The governorate explained in a statement that the project constitutes a practical implementation of the Israeli annexation plan for the E1 area. It aims to achieve full geographic continuity between the Ma’ale Adumim settlement and the city of Jerusalem, leading to the separation of the northern West Bank from its southern part and the seizure of around three per cent of the West Bank’s area to be annexed within the so-called “Greater Jerusalem” plan.
The statement noted that the project entrenches a system of traffic segregation, as Palestinians will be barred from using the main Route 1 and forced to pass through an underground tunnel near the Zaeem checkpoint, while the surface road will be reserved exclusively for settlers.
The governorate added that the plan will isolate the communities of Jabal al Baba, Wadi al Jamal, and the town of al Eizariya, and threatens the demolition and evacuation of dozens of structures that have recently received no fewer than 43 notices in preparation for expanding the project.
It also pointed out that funding for the road, which is estimated to cost around 98 million dollars, was taken from withheld Palestinian clearance revenues by a decision of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, in an attempt to market the project internationally as serving Palestinians. However, engineering plans show that its primary aim is to facilitate settler movement.
The Jerusalem Governorate warned that the project represents a severe blow to the possibility of establishing a geographically contiguous Palestinian state, calling on the international community to take practical steps that go beyond statements of condemnation.
The Israeli government approved the “Fabric of Life” project in 2012. It also includes the establishment of an industrial zone northwest of the area, a police centre, a landfill, and plans for building settlement housing units, hotel rooms, a Torah themed park, and a public park.
The project also includes sections that have already been completed near the annexation and expansion wall east of the town of Anata toward the village of Zaeem, while another section is proposed to be built starting from Zaeem toward the town of al Eizariya.
Over the past years, the Israeli government has issued several decisions regarding settlement construction at the site, the most recent in 2020, when it announced plans to build 3,500 settlement housing units, later freezing their construction under international pressure.
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