Israel Begins Construction of Illegal Settlement Road North of Jerusalem

Jerusalem, MINA – Israeli occupation authorities began construction work Thursday on a new illegal settlement road north of occupied Jerusalem, part of a plan aimed at linking settlements north of Jerusalem and east of Ramallah to the city, further consolidating Israeli control over the area, Wafa reported.

The Jerusalem Governorate reported that the road, designated as Road 45, will extend from the town of Mikhmas in the east to the Qalandiya Tunnel in the west, where it will later connect with the existing settlement Road 443. It is estimated to be approximately five kilometers long in its current phase and is part of a network of bypass roads intended to tighten control around occupied Jerusalem and reshape the surrounding landscape.

The Governorate explained that the project is designed to facilitate the movement of settlers and directly connect settlement blocs north of Jerusalem and east of Ramallah to Jerusalem and within Israel.

This is expected to encourage settlement expansion and attract more settlers to live in settlements around the city, while asserting Israeli control over the eastern and northern slopes of Jerusalem and altering the area’s geographical and demographic character.

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It emphasized that the project is a central tool in isolating occupied Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings and severing the geographical connection between the northern and central West Bank. This is part of the practical implementation of Israel’s “Greater Jerusalem” plan, imposing permanent settlement facts on the ground that serve annexation efforts and consolidate Israeli control over the city and its environs.

For the construction, Israeli occupation authorities seized approximately 280 dunams of Palestinian-owned land belonging to the towns of Mikhmas, Jaba’, Al-Ram, and Kafr Aqab north of occupied Jerusalem. The seizure was carried out under military orders despite objections from the residents. According to published data, the cost of constructing this settlement road is approximately 400 million shekels.[]

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)

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