Al-Tafakji to (i): A tool to strengthen Israeli control and undermine the chances of a two-state solution, the economy, and the social and geographical fabric... The occupation approves the "fabric of life" project for settlement expansion and connection.

The Israeli cabinet approved the implementation of the "Fabric of Life" settlement road project on Sunday, pre-dawn, before Eid al-Fitr. The road connects the northern West Bank to its southern part via a tunnel east of occupied Jerusalem, and includes large areas in the central West Bank and the Jordan Valley.

The occupation government, through Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, said: "The project aims to improve the infrastructure of Israeli settlements and connect them to each other."

But in reality, it reinforces the de facto annexation of the settlements surrounding Jerusalem within the Zionist concept of "Greater Jerusalem," imposes greater restrictions on the Palestinians, and deprives them of large areas of the West Bank, especially Areas B and C, according to the Oslo Accords.

Settlement expert Khalil Al-Tafakji told Al-Quds that the project is being implemented in successive sections and rings, and that this part of the project is the final link in separating the Palestinians from the Jordan Valley and the northern and southern Badia of Jerusalem. It is a prelude to implementing the settlement project (i.e. 1) the eastern gate of Jerusalem to close off Jerusalem from the West Bank in the final circle.

Al-Tafkaji pointed out the most significant dangers of this road or tunnel, which will connect the north of the West Bank to its south without entering occupied Jerusalem and without severing the connection between the outposts and settlements in the east of the city and the Jordan Valley. This road separates the West Bank from the Jerusalem desert in the center of the West Bank and consolidates the Palestinian presence in two separate blocs in the south and north, with no geographical connection except through this tunnel, which is controlled by the occupation and the settlers.

Al-Tafakji said: “The most prominent goals and dangers of this tunnel, which represents a bottleneck for the Palestinians, are:

1. Strengthening the de facto annexation of the West Bank: The project includes the construction of roads, tunnels, and bridges aimed at connecting Jewish settlements, separate from Palestinian communities, thus deepening the occupation's control over the region. It contributes to the separation of Palestinian cities and villages from one another and reinforces the division of the West Bank into isolated cantons.

2. Enforcing the apartheid system: Palestinians are allowed to use specific roads that are different from those designated for settlers, which deepens the policy of segregation and confirms the existence of a racist system of transportation.

It deprives Palestinians of freedom of movement and travel within their lands, which harms economic and social life.

3. Expanding and legalizing settlements: The project aims to provide advanced infrastructure for settlements, facilitating their expansion and attracting more settlers, with the goal of reaching one million settlers in the West Bank by 2030. It also contributes to legalizing illegal settlements by connecting them to an integrated Israeli road network.

4. Destruction of the Palestinian environment: Implementing the project requires the confiscation of vast areas of Palestinian land, leading to the uprooting of trees, the destruction of agricultural land, and the demolition of homes. It also threatens Palestinian water resources, exposing groundwater sources to Israeli exploitation.

5. Stifling the Palestinian economy: It hinders the movement of goods and internal trade between Palestinian cities, harming economic sectors such as agriculture and industry. It increases Palestinians' dependence on the Israeli economy by reducing their ability to move freely between production and distribution centers.

6. Complicating the two-state solution by consecrating the fragmentation of the West Bank into separate cantons and population blocs, by imposing new facts on the ground, makes it difficult to discuss the possibility of establishing a geographically contiguous Palestinian state. It also reinforces the imposition of Israeli sovereignty over large parts of the West Bank, weakening any future possibility of negotiations.

Al-Tafakji explained that the "fabric of life" project is not merely an infrastructure development, but rather a new colonial tool to consolidate Israeli control and undermine the chances of establishing an independent Palestinian state. It directly impacts the lives of Palestinians through increased isolation, settlement expansion, and economic destruction, making it a long-term strategic threat.

For his part, Jerusalem affairs researcher Ziad Abhais reviewed the repercussions of the construction of the "Fabric of Life Road" designated exclusively for Palestinians, saying: "It is an underground tunnel designated for Palestinians only, starting from the south of Al-Eizariya and extending to the north of the town of Al-Za'im. This means that Palestinian passage between the southern and northern parts of the West Bank is restricted to this tunnel, thus preventing their passage from the current Bethlehem-Ramallah road, which connects to Route 1 at the Ma'ale Adumim junction." He added, "The approval of this road was initially supported by Naftali Bennett, leader of the Jewish Home party, which formed a coalition of religious Zionist forces when he served as Minister of Defense in Netanyahu's government in 2020. It is proposed that it be fully funded from the clearance revenues confiscated from the Palestinian Authority, noting that its cost is $92 million."

"It was called the 'fabric of life' road because the Israeli army is trying to market it as a road that enhances the 'Palestinian lifestyle' and creates a 'fabric of life' between the northern and southern West Bank," Buhais explained. "The actual goal of its construction is the complete opposite: allowing direct communication between Israeli settlements, removing security barriers from the roads that connect them, and designating them exclusively for Israelis."

Buhais explained that this road will consume hundreds of dunams of Palestinian land, and its construction will require the demolition of structures in the towns of al-Eizariya, which are classified as "Area B" according to the Oslo Accords. According to the agreement, the Palestinian Authority is supposed to regulate construction and housing there.

It is noteworthy that according to the Oslo Accords and the subsequent Wye River Agreement, the West Bank was supposed to be divided into three areas: the first (A), which constitutes 18% of the West Bank and where security and administrative powers are vested in the Palestinian Authority; the second (B), which constitutes 21% of the West Bank and where administrative powers are vested in the Palestinian Authority and security powers are shared; and the third (C), which is completely outside the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority and constitutes 61% of the West Bank.

“To pave the way for the establishment of this road and the annexation of the Adumim settlement bloc, the Israeli government had previously withdrawn the building and planning powers in the Jerusalem wilderness from the Palestinian Authority in June 2024, thus removing its authority over approximately 3% of the area of Area B of the West Bank and transferring it to the occupation army through the “Civil Administration,” meaning that the authority’s powers in its two parts, Areas A and B, now extend over 2,110 square kilometers, which constitutes 7.8% of the original area of Palestine, cut off by approximately 700 checkpoints,” Buhais said.

Building on its predecessor, the "Fabric of Life" road is actually divided into two sections: the northern section, which was completed between 2017 and 2020, and the southern section, which has now been referred for implementation. The northern section connects the towns of Az-Zayyim and Anata to the north, and consists of two parallel roads separated by the wall. The first is for Palestinians and allows passage from Az-Zayyim to Anata and then continuing north toward Ramallah. The second is for Israelis and provides a northern entrance to Jerusalem, linking it to the Adumim settlement bloc.

He concluded by saying, "If work is completed on this section of the underground tunnel, it will be connected to the northern section adjacent to the wall, making it the only road designated for Palestinians between the north and south of the West Bank, while the settlers' roads connecting them to Jerusalem will be free of barriers."