**** Update from March 8/2/24: The Higher Planning Council approved plans of 3,426 HU on Wednesday 6/3/24
*** Update from 29/2/24: The Higher Planning Council meeting was scheduled for Wednesday 6/3/24 and the plans we reported on are the ones on the agenda:
Plan 410/5/7 for 694 housing units in Efrat – will be discussed for validation.
Plan 420/1/7/59/2 for 1,294 housing units in Ma’ale Adumim (of which 350 units are for assisted living for the elderly) – will be discussed for deposit.
Plan 420/1/7/59/3 for 1,108 housing units in Ma’ale Adumim – will be discussed for deposit.
Plan 421/4 for 330 housing units in Keidar – will be discussed for deposit.
A total of 3,426 housing units in the settlements will be brought up for discussion. ***
On Thursday, 22 February, it was reported that Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that following consultations held with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Ministers Gallant and Dermer, and in light of the recent terror attack near Ma’ale Adumim, the Israeli government plans to move forward with the construction of a total of 3,344 new housing units in West Bank settlements.
In the coming weeks, the Higher Planning Council is expected to convene to approve construction plans in Ma’ale Adumim, Efrat, and Kedar. The agenda for the meeting has not yet been published, and it is uncertain which specific plans will be discussed. However, according to Peace Now’s assessment, the following plans are likely to be included:
- – Efrat: Plan 410/5/7 for approximately 700 housing units north of the settlement (between the Zayit neighborhood and the Dagan neighborhood, and east of them).
- – Ma’ale Adumim: Plans 420/1/7/59/2, 420/1/7/59/3 for 2,402 housing units, in an area adjacent to the Nofei Sela neighborhood in Ma’ale Adumim, at the eastern edge of the settlement.
- – Kedar: Plan 421/4 for 330 housing units to expand the settlement southeastward.
learn more about the planning process in settlements – here.
These plans do not appear to be related to the E1 or E2 plans. However, they are significant and expansive projects that will greatly impact the possibility of reaching a two-state solution, especially the plans in Efrat and Kedar.
Peace Now: “The decision to promote thousands of unnecessary and harmful housing units in settlements is a hasty and irresponsible decision by an extremist government that has long lost the trust of the people. The Israeli government is creating a diplomatic disaster against the Israeli public and our friends in the world who assist Israel in its difficult times. The day after is already here, and the only way to restore security is through striving to promote a comprehensive solution to end the war, and a just resolution to the conflict, whose aim is two states for two peoples.”