الأراضي المقدسة الخضراء / GHLands
Israeli affairs analyst Ismail Al-Muslimani has warned of accelerating Israeli efforts to implement the E1 settlement plan, which aims to link Jerusalem with the settlement of Ma'ale Adumim to the east, effectively creating a single urban bloc.
Al-Muslimani explained that the plan covers more than 12,000 dunams of Palestinian land and affects the communities of Al-Za'ayyem, Anata, Al-Eizariya, Abu Dis, and Al-Issawiya. He described it as one of the most significant settlement projects proposed since the occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967, citing its far-reaching geographic and demographic implications.
Implementation Advancing on the Ground
According to the analyst, the project has moved beyond the planning stage and is entering advanced phases of implementation. Infrastructure works are already underway in the area, while the Israeli government has allocated substantial funding for road development and the construction of thousands of new settlement housing units.
He added that Israeli authorities have begun issuing notices and confiscating Palestinian land in the vicinity of the project, a move that threatens to further separate Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings and undermine territorial continuity in the occupied West Bank.
Impact on Movement and Territorial Connectivity
Al-Muslimani stressed that the implementation of the E1 plan could significantly affect Palestinian mobility, particularly between the northern and southern parts of the West Bank, through increased control over key transportation routes and strategic corridors surrounding Jerusalem.
He noted that these measures could lead to greater restrictions on movement between Palestinian cities and communities, deepening the geographic fragmentation already experienced across many areas of the West Bank.
Part of the "Greater Jerusalem" Vision
The analyst argued that the E1 plan forms part of broader efforts to expand Israeli settlement control around Jerusalem and advance the concept of “Greater Jerusalem” by connecting surrounding settlements through roads, infrastructure networks, and urban development projects.
He said these policies contribute to reshaping the geographic and demographic landscape of Jerusalem and its environs, while further complicating prospects for a geographically contiguous Palestinian state amid continued settlement expansion and restrictions on Palestinian urban growth.
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