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Umm Lison Plan Approved
Israeli authorities approved the construction of 450 new housing units in the Palestinian neighborhood of Umm Lison in occupied East Jerusalem, after a two-year review, according to Arab News.
“Israeli authorities approved the construction of 450 new housing units after two years of review”
The Jerusalem Governorate warned that the hundreds of flats in buildings up to 10 stories high would significantly alter Umm Lison’s urban character and demographic composition, and it said Umm Lison is located between Jabal Al-Mukabbir and Sur Baher.
Arab News said the units will accommodate almost 2,000 settlers in Umm Lison, which includes about 800 housing units, most of which are two- or three-story buildings.
The plan was described by Middle East Eye as seeking to establish around 450 units in Umm Lison to accommodate nearly 2,000 settlers within an existing Palestinian neighbourhood, and the Governorate called it a major escalation and blatant violation of international law.
Governorate and Ir Amim Clash
Middle East Eye said the Jerusalem Governorate described the project as part of a broader colonial system targeting the dismantling of Palestinian geography in southern occupied Jerusalem, aiming to restrict Palestinian urban expansion and surround neighbourhoods with connected settlement blocs.
The same plan was framed by Ir Amim in ABNA English as the Al-Quds District Planning and Building Committee approving the deposit of a plan paving the way for the construction of approximately 450 settlement housing units in Umm Lison.
ABNA English reported that the proposal was first submitted in 2022 by the company Topodia but remained frozen for more than two years after the planning committee required the expansion of the road leading to the project site before advancing the plan.
Euronews said the plan was approved with a specific plan number, 1049873, and described it as the largest project of its kind in terms of the number of settlement units within a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem, compared with Ma'aleh Zeitim in Ras al-Amud.
Scale, Numbers, and Tensions
Euronews said Am Leshon currently has about 800 Palestinian housing units, most buildings two- or three-story high, and that the new plan calls for buildings up to ten stories tall, adding about 450 settler units.
“The new plan calls for buildings up to ten stories tall, adding about 450 settler units”
Euronews also reported that estimates suggest the new plan could accommodate around 2,000 settlers in the heart of a Palestinian neighborhood, and it said Ir Amim warned the project would escalate friction between residents and undermine stability in the area.
WAFA said the Jerusalem Governorate described the approval of the plan as a dangerous step toward dismantling Palestinian geography in Jerusalem, adding that it represents a new escalation in imposing colonial facts on the ground.
WAFA said the Governorate linked the plan to a broader colonial system alongside the “Arnona Hills,” “Givat Shaked,” “Lower Aqueduct,” and “Givat Hamatos” projects, and it warned that Palestinians in Jerusalem are facing an integrated colonial replacement project rather than isolated violations.
