Settlers Seek to Divide Ramallah and Change the Reality of Movement.. The Occupation Army Prepares the Way

Tel Aviv - Afaq News - The newspaper "Haaretz" reported that an intensive campaign is being undertaken to open a crossroad that passes through the urban area of Ramallah for the movement of settlers, alongside other steps to control lands and roads along this axis, as part of actions that the report says reflect the settlers' ability to plan integrated initiatives that may be repeated in other Palestinian areas.

According to the right-wing religious newspaper "Olam Katan", the Israeli army intends to create conditions to open Road No. 463 for the movement of settlers, which passes through the heart of the Ramallah-Al Bireh area, potentially separating neighborhoods and villages in the northern part of the urban area from the rest of its sections.

This requires, according to the report, the establishment of new military sites and barriers that would affect the movement of Palestinians within the area and to and from it.

The newspaper quoted "Yisrael Gantz", head of the "Yesha" Council and head of the "Benjamin" settlements council, stating that a preliminary decision to open the road has already been made, that the budget is available, and that the Israeli army has begun security and legal preparations for its implementation.

The Israeli army confirmed to "Haaretz" that it is working to prepare special security conditions for future travel on the axis, while also noting that part of the road passes through Area A, which is prohibited for Israelis to enter, without clarifying how this contradiction will be addressed.

The road extends for about ten kilometers between Al-Bireh and the Jalazone camp to the east and Ain Qinya to the west, and it is connected to the network of "Chinese roads" established by the Ramallah municipality to alleviate congestion in Ramallah and Al-Bireh. The road also leads to vital facilities, including the Consultative Hospital, the Arab American University, and a wastewater treatment plant.

The route of the road was first opened in 1994 to connect the settlements of Beit El and Dolev, and it is known as the "Flershtain Axis." After the second intifada, the army prevented both settlers and Palestinians for a period from using parts of it.

In recent months, settlement entities have intensified their pressure to reopen it to Israelis, and several tours for settlers have been organized along the road where Israeli flags were raised and events were held near Palestinian sites, amid military presence or coordination.

The report notes that the remaining parts of the road are classified as area C, despite being located in the heart of the Palestinian urban cluster, providing the administrative basis for the Israeli claim to open it.

It indicates that the Ramallah governorate, which is home to about 400,000 Palestinians in about 80 communities, is already divided into dozens of enclaves due to area C, settlements, bypass roads, checkpoints, and military gates, and that restrictions have increased since October 2023.

According to an estimate by "Haaretz", opening the road for settlers will require additional security measures, such as establishing military points and barriers, and possibly seizing land adjacent to it, which could lead to the separation of eight villages and two large neighborhoods in the northern Ramallah urban area from the areas located south of the road. This may push tens of thousands of Palestinians to use the old road number 60 near the Jalazone camp, which is already suffering from severe congestion.

The report warns of the potential impact of the barriers on access to the consulting hospital, the Arab American University, and the wastewater treatment plant, noting that the number of visitors to one of the public parks in the area has already declined for fear of settlers entering it again.

The report does not consider the move regarding road 463 a separate step, but rather links it to other actions taking place in the Ramallah governorate, including settlers' activities on a piece of land near the Al-Tireh neighborhood, where land leveling work has been carried out and concrete blocks and an iron gate have been placed, and the Israeli flag was raised there for a period, in addition to demands from settlers from the Talmon settlement bloc to use another road south of the Ramallah area.

The report concludes that the Israeli army's response to settlers' demands to shorten their travel routes, alongside the spread and legitimization of settlement outposts and the expansion of the road network designated to serve the settlements, is likely to deepen the fragmentation of the Palestinian space into smaller and more isolated areas, making movement between them longer and more difficult.