Israeli Bulldozers Demolish Palestinian Shops In Al-Eizariya Ahead Of Settlement-Linked Road Project

Israeli bulldozers demolished dozens of Palestinian shops on the edge of al-Eizariya, a town southeast of Jerusalem, clearing land ahead of a settlement-linked road project in the occupied West Bank.

“Toggle Play Israel bulldozes Palestinian shops to make way for settlement-linked road Israel has demolished 50 shops in al-Eizariya overnight, erasing the livelihoods of more than 200 families despite legal appeals to Israel’s Supreme Court”

Al Jazeera

Israel said the demolitions were needed to make way for a road serving Palestinian communities, while Palestinian officials said the road was part of a broader plan to keep Palestinian vehicles off a new highway being built for nearby Israeli settlements.

Al Jazeera

The project is tied to E1, a strategic section of the West Bank, and the Independent described it as “within the occupied West Bank.”

Al Jazeera said Israel demolished 50 shops in al-Eizariya overnight, erasing the livelihoods of more than 200 families despite legal appeals to Israel’s Supreme Court.

Peace Now director Hagit Ofran said, “The shops that were demolished are where Israel is planning to build a new road that will divert all Palestinian traffic to that road so that they can close down the whole area of E1 for Palestinians.”

Ofran also said the road project would lead to the displacement of thousands of Bedouin Arabs living in the area, as the Independent reported the E1 plan runs from the outskirts of Jerusalem deep into the occupied West Bank.

The Independent

The Independent reported that attorneys appealed up to Israel’s Supreme Court after some owners received notices to evacuate shops built without permits, but the demolitions went ahead.

Shop owner Mohammad Abu Ghalieh, described as 48 years old by the Independent, said, “Forty-eight years of night and day to build something for his children and himself, and in one day and one night, everything was gone.”

The Independent said the E1 project would isolate the cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem and hinder north-south movement for Palestinians, while also complicating efforts to establish a contiguous Palestinian state in the West Bank.

“Israeli bulldozers have demolished dozens of Palestinian shops this week on the edge of a town located southeast of Jerusalem, clearing ground for a settlement-linked road project within the occupied West Bank”

The Independent

It added that Israel is planning to build some 3,500 apartments next to the existing settlement of Maale Adumim, and that Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war.

Al Jazeera reported that Israel has earmarked a swath of land for a settlement corridor that would bisect the occupied West Bank and displace thousands of Bedouin villagers.

Al Jazeera also said the demolitions erased the livelihoods of more than 200 families, and it framed the action as occurring “overnight” in al-Eizariya despite legal appeals to Israel’s Supreme Court.