ISRAELI OCCUPIED WEST BANK, 17 Dec. - (ANA) - Israeli authorities are set to push forward plans to construct around 9,000 housing units in an illegal settlement on the site of the former Qalandiya airport in occupied East Jerusalem, a move widely seen as further entrenching the fragmentation of Palestinian land.

 

The proposed development, referred to by Israeli officials as the Atarot neighbourhood, is due to be discussed on Wednesday by the District Planning and Building Committee, with outline approvals expected, according to the Israeli watchdog group Peace Now.

 

Peace Now said the project mirrors the controversial E1 settlement plan in its impact, warning that it would sever remaining territorial links between Palestinian communities and further undermine prospects for a viable Palestinian state.

 

The settlement would be built in the middle of a densely populated Palestinian area extending from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank through Kafr Aqab, the Qalandiya refugee camp, ar Ram, Beit Hanina and Bir Nabala.

 

By inserting a large Israeli enclave into this corridor, the plan would block Palestinian urban development and isolate East Jerusalem from its natural Palestinian hinterland.

 

Peace Now described the proposal as "a destructive plan" that would effectively eliminate any chance of territorial continuity between East Jerusalem and the surrounding Palestinian areas, making the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel unworkable.   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/17 December 2025 - - -