Jerusalem: A position paper issued by the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission highlights Israel's E1 colonial project in Palestinian territories, which seeks to seize land, Judaize it, and undermine the potential for Palestinian statehood with East Jerusalem as its capital.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the Israeli occupation authorities have been accelerating efforts to seize and Judaize Palestinian lands since 1967, particularly in Jerusalem. The 'E1 Plan' is pivotal in this strategy, with the occupation approving Master Plan (E1) No. (4/420) in 1999. This plan covers an area of 12,000 dunums, mostly declared as 'state land' and annexed to the Ma'ale Adumim settlement. In 2012, further approvals included various subplans, such as the establishment of an industrial zone, a police headquarters, a waste dump, and multiple housing and hotel units.
The E1 Plan's objectives include isolating Jerusalem from Palestinian surroundings, disrupting geographic and demographic continuity, and expanding East Jerusalem's borders through settlement annexations. The plan also entails displacing Bedouin communities, continuing the displacement practices initiated in 1948 and 1967.
Recent measures target the Jabal al-Baba community, located on al-'Eizariya lands within the E1 area. The community faces repeated demolitions and displacement, with a military order threatening to forcibly displace more than 300 Bedouin residents. The Ma'ale Adumim settlement bloc, central to these plans, aims to integrate with East Jerusalem and connect with territories occupied in 1948, isolating Palestinian communities historically linked to the city.
The expansion plans include an amusement city and a new settlement neighborhood, linking East Jerusalem to the Jordan Valley. The occupation authorities also plan to connect the Kidar settlement with Ma'ale Adumim, furthering the geographic continuity of Israeli settlements while excluding Palestinian communities.