Israel Orders Land Seized from Arab Villages for Road

Agence-France Presse reports that Israel has ordered the seizure of 272 acres of land from four Palestinian villages between East Jerusalem and the Jewish settlement of Ma'aleh Adumim in the West Bank. The land is slated to be used for a new Palestinian road that would connect East Jerusalem with Jericho.

Ha'aretz reports that this would allow the construction of a Jewish development of 3,500 apartments and an industrial park (known as the E-1 plan) between Jerusalem and the settlement.

The Palestinians and the international community, including the United States, have long objected to the E-1 plan on the grounds that it would cut the West Bank in two and sever East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank. Israel claims that the new road will solve this latter problem.

Due mainly to American objections, the E-1 plan has been frozen since 2004, other than construction of a thus-far empty police station in the area. Public Security Minister Avi Dichter told Haaretz last week that police would move into the station by the end of this year. However, Israel promised the U.S. at the time that the station would not serve as an initial stage of the full housing project.

The news comes the day after Israel's vice prime minister, Haim Ramon, ignited a debate when he proposed that Jerusalem be shared with the Palestinians as part of any peace agreement. Ramon, who is responsible for the region where the road would be built, told Ha'aretz that he didn't know about the land seizure order.

The army said the road is being built "to improve the quality of life for Palestinians," according to AFP. But Akiva Eldar writes in Ha'aretz,"This order is synonymous with putting an end to working on an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians on the basis of the principle of two states with territorial contiguity."

11:54 AM ET | 10- 9-2007 | permalink