Israeli occupation authorities today, Wednesday, issued urgent notices to demolish about 50 commercial shops and Palestinian structures in the town of Al-Eizariya, located southeast of occupied Jerusalem. These measures come as part of accelerated steps to pave the way for the implementation of a large-scale settlement plan in the vital area connecting Jerusalem to its surroundings.
Official sources in Jerusalem Governorate reported that occupation teams verbally informed about 50 citizens of the need to evacuate their structures in the nursery area at the main entrance to the town. The authorities set next Sunday morning as the final deadline for evacuation, threatening to forcibly carry out demolition operations, including the contents and goods within the structures.
These new notices are based on previous demolition orders issued in August 2025, as the occupation seeks to impose a new reality before legal issues are decided. The Governorate clarified that the owners of the structures had submitted legal petitions to Israeli courts, and a decision on them is expected in mid-May.
For its part, Al-Eizariya Municipality warned that these targeting fall within the settlement plan known as 'E1', which is considered one of the most dangerous expansion projects in the region. This project aims to connect the 'Ma'ale Adumim' settlement with occupied Jerusalem, which will effectively isolate the northern West Bank from its south completely.
The plan includes the so-called 'Fabric of Life' project, a system of roads and infrastructure designed for racial segregation between the movement of Palestinians and settlers. Under this plan, tunnels and secondary roads will be allocated for Palestinians, while surface and main roads will be designated to serve settlers and facilitate their movement towards Jerusalem.
In a related context, human rights reports indicated that last April witnessed a significant escalation in demolition operations, with occupation forces carrying out 37 demolition operations in various areas of the West Bank. These operations affected 78 structures, including 37 inhabited homes, leading to the displacement of dozens of Palestinian families.
Settlement affairs experts confirm that the 'E1' project aims to confiscate thousands of dunams of Palestinian land and prevent any future urban expansion for Palestinians in the vicinity of Jerusalem. This project has faced widespread international rejection over the years, but the occupation authorities continue their attempts to implement it gradually through a policy of demolishing structures.
Local authorities in Jerusalem warned that the implementation of this project would lead to the complete isolation of Palestinian Bedouin communities, such as Jabal al-Baba and Wadi al-Jamal. These communities face the risk of forced displacement and removal to provide connected geographical areas for major Israeli settlements in the eastern part of the city.
Historical data indicate that the structural plan for this project bears the number 4/420 and was approved in 1999 over an area estimated at 12,000 dunams. Most of these lands were declared 'state lands' by the occupation to facilitate their subsequent transfer of ownership for the benefit of settlement expansion in the 'Ma'ale Adumim' settlement.
A state of tension and anxiety prevails among shop owners in Al-Eizariya as the deadline approaches, amidst calls for international intervention to stop the demolition operations. These structures are the sole source of livelihood for dozens of families, and their demolition represents a severe economic blow to the town, which already suffers from the siege of the wall and settlement.
This step comes despite the submission of petitions to an Israeli court against the demolition decisions, which are scheduled to be decided in mid-May.
شارك برأيك
Occupation warns of demolition of 50 structures in Al-Eizariya in preparation for implementing the 'E1' settlement plan