{"id":35127,"date":"2020-11-09T14:11:40","date_gmt":"2020-11-09T11:11:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/?p=35127"},"modified":"2021-03-29T07:26:54","modified_gmt":"2021-03-29T04:26:54","slug":"greenlighting-de-facto-annexation-a-summary-of-trumps-impact-on-the-settlements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/greenlighting-de-facto-annexation-a-summary-of-trumps-impact-on-the-settlements","title":{"rendered":"Greenlighting De Facto Annexation: A Summary of Trump&#8217;s Impact on the Settlements"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Israel&#8217;s policy in the West Bank is determined by the Israeli government, yet the United States&#8217; influence on this policy is paramount.\u00a0In President Donald J. Trump&#8217;s four years in office, there have been far-reaching changes in the American position on Israeli settlements that have shattered the international consensus around a two-state solution, and which have promoted annexation in all but name. The de facto annexation has manifested itself in high levels of settlement unit approvals, transgressions of informal international red lines in highly sensitive areas like the Jerusalem environs and Hebron, and the building of over 30 new outposts. Consequently, de jure annexation became a legitimate topic in the Israeli and American governments, while Israel has created for itself and the Palestinians a near permanent, undemocratic one-state reality.<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Peace Now:\u00a0&#8220;The Trump administration lent the power of the United States to the benefit of the narrow interests of a small, radical group of settlers, and has done enormous damage to Israel. We expect the incoming administration of President-Elect Biden to be attentive to the peace-seeking majority in Israel and to restore the United States to its status as a constructive intermediary for a two-state solution.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><u><strong>Main findings<\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The number of plans promoted in the settlements increased 2.5 times compared to the previous four years<\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; 26,331 housing units were promoted in the settlements in the years 2017-2020, compared to 10,331 housing units in the years 2013-2016.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The number of tenders in the settlements doubled<\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; tenders were published for 2,425 housing units in the settlements, compared with 1,164 housing units in the previous four years.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Infrastructure and road projects were designed to add another million settlers<\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; In recent years,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/800-million-shekel-plan-bypass-roads-west-bank-approved-netanyahu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-cke-saved-href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/800-million-shekel-plan-bypass-roads-west-bank-approved-netanyahu\">the Israeli government has begun infrastructure and road projects<\/a>\u00a0designed to form the development axis for settlements with an investment of billions of shekels.<br \/>\nThese roads include, among others:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/confiscation-tunnels-road\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-cke-saved-href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/confiscation-tunnels-road\">doubling &#8220;the Tunnels Road&#8221; (bypassing Bethlehem)<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/al-aroub-bypass-confiscation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-cke-saved-href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/al-aroub-bypass-confiscation\">Al-Arroub bypass<\/a>\u00a0(completing a four-lane road from Jerusalem to Hebron),\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/east-ring-road\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-cke-saved-href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/east-ring-road\">the Eastern Ring Road from A-Za&#8217;ayyim and Anata<\/a>\u00a0(AKA &#8220;the Apartheid Road),\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/construction-permits-approved-for-two-bypass-roads-near-nablus-and-bethlehem\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-cke-saved-href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/construction-permits-approved-for-two-bypass-roads-near-nablus-and-bethlehem\">Hawara bypass<\/a>\u00a0(south of Nablus), the Qalandiya underpass,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/settlementwatcheastjerusalem.files.wordpress.com\/2014\/11\/roads-infrastructure-20141.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-cke-saved-href=\"https:\/\/settlementwatcheastjerusalem.files.wordpress.com\/2014\/11\/roads-infrastructure-20141.pdf\">Nabi Eliyas bypass<\/a>\u00a0and other roads.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Construction was promoted in particularly destructive places for the prospects of peace<\/strong>\u00a0(i.e. places which were considered an Israeli and international taboo):<\/li>\n<li><strong>Promoted plans will add 100,000 settlers in settlements that Israel will have to evacuate<\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; 78% of the promoted plans (20,629 housing units) are in settlements that Israel will have to evacuate under a two-state agreement (according to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/geneva-accord.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-cke-saved-href=\"https:\/\/geneva-accord.org\/\">Geneva Initiative<\/a>\u00a0model). Major developments include:\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/objection-to-building-a-new-settlement-in-e1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-cke-saved-href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/objection-to-building-a-new-settlement-in-e1\">E1<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; Plans were deposited for 3,401 housing units.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/a-new-opening-date-to-givat-hamatos-tender\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-cke-saved-href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/a-new-opening-date-to-givat-hamatos-tender\">Givat Hamatos<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; A tender was published for 1,077 housing units.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/why-a-new-settlement-should-not-be-established-in-the-wholesale-market-in-hebron\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-cke-saved-href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/why-a-new-settlement-should-not-be-established-in-the-wholesale-market-in-hebron\">Hebron<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; The government\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/state-hurriedly-issues-permit-for-31-settlement-units-in-hebron-ahead-of-us-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-cke-saved-href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/state-hurriedly-issues-permit-for-31-settlement-units-in-hebron-ahead-of-us-election\">has approved the construction<\/a>\u00a0of about 100 housing units that will double the number of settlers in the Palestinian city.<\/li>\n<li>Large expansions in the heart of the West Bank: 1,103 units for settlements surrounding Nablus (Bracha, Elon Moreh, Itamar, Yizhar, Shavei Shomron); 2,687 units in settlements surrounding Ramallah (Beit El, Ofra, Psagot, Kochav Yaacov, Dolev, Talmon and its outposts); 2,279 units in settlements between Ramallah and Nablus (Eli, Shilo, Shvut Rachel and the new settlement of Amihai).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/maahazim-english_full.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-cke-saved-href=\"http:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/maahazim-english_full.pdf\">Outposts<\/a>\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/settlements-watch\/settlements-data\/population\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-cke-saved-href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/settlements-watch\/settlements-data\/population\">At least 31 new outposts<\/a>\u00a0were established during the Trump administration<\/strong>\u00a0(compared to 9 in the previous four years). In addition, 10 outposts were retroactively legalized (their &#8220;regularization&#8221; plan took effect), compared to 7 outposts in the previous four years.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Undermining the Israeli, Palestinian, and international consensus on the parameters for solving the conflict&#8217;s core issues<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>and<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>presenting a plan for annexation<\/strong>: moving the embassy to Jerusalem while taking the issue &#8220;off the table,&#8221; canceling UNRWA support implying that the Palestinian refugees issue is no longer a problem, and legally legitimizing settlements.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/the-trump-plan-a-plan-for-annexation-not-for-peace\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-cke-saved-href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/the-trump-plan-a-plan-for-annexation-not-for-peace\">The Trump Plan, published in January 2020, presents a model for Israeli annexation<\/a>\u00a0without even minimal Palestinian independence.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Evacuation of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem in favor of settlers<\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; In the four years of the Trump administration, about 6 Palestinian families in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/eviction-underway-of-palestinian-family-in-muslim-quarter-for-the-benefit-of-settlers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-cke-saved-href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/eviction-underway-of-palestinian-family-in-muslim-quarter-for-the-benefit-of-settlers\">the Muslim Quarter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/palestinian-family-sheikh-jarrah-faces-imminent-eviction-benefit-settlers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-cke-saved-href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/palestinian-family-sheikh-jarrah-faces-imminent-eviction-benefit-settlers\">Sheikh Jarrah<\/a>\u00a0were evicted (based on restitution of Jewish property before 1948, while such laws are not afforded to Palestinians), compared to only one family in Silwan in the previous four years. (Evacuation of families on the grounds of settler acquisition claims continued both in previous years and under the Trump administration).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Changing the rules of the game to de facto annexation<\/strong>: allowing land expropriation and applying Knesset laws into the West Bank (<a href=\"http:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Overview_From-Occupation-to-Apartheid.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-cke-saved-href=\"http:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Overview_From-Occupation-to-Apartheid.pdf\">&#8220;from occupation to apartheid&#8221;<\/a>) &#8211; A series of legal opinions approving the expropriation of Palestinian land contrary to previous rulings and legal positions that expropriation of land in favor of the occupying population is strictly prohibited. Legislative procedures of laws enacted by the Knesset or under government directive led Israel to apply administrative laws and procedures over the Green Line in the West Bank, despite it not being officially part of Israel.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-35108\" src=\"http:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Plans_Trump_ENG.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"840\" \/>\n<h3><b>Impact of the Trump Administration on the Settlements<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>Background<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the evening of November 1, 2020, soon before the U.S. presidential election, an unusual event took place in Hebron: dozens of settler leaders and heads of settlement authorities gathered in the Cave of Patriarchs in Hebron to pray for Donald Trump\u2019s success in the upcoming election. Though this event was unusual, it was not surprising. In fact, it is expected that settlement leaders would wish for his success. Trump\u2019s four years in office allowed settlers to achieve meaningful changes in terms of policies and facts on the ground.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><b>The Deal of the Century<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trump began his term with the declaration of his intention to propose \u201cthe deal of the century,\u201d a deal that would solve the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Immediately afterwards, he took a series of steps, unprecedented in American policy, that reflected the essence of his plan:<\/span><b> to remove the two-state solution from the agenda<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Trump\u2019s position on three issues at the core of the conflict was:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>No to a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Trump moved the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and recognized the Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>No to solving the refugee crisis<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Trump cancelled American support for UNRWA, an organization that aids Palestinian refugees, implying that refugees are not his problem.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>No to a Paelstininan state with 1967 borders<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Trump did not act to prevent Israel from continuing settlement construction; his administration even declared that the settlements in the occupied territories are not a violation of international law.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Trump%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9CPeace%E2%80%9D-Plan_-A-Unilateral-Resolution-Is-No-Solution-2.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The \u201cTrump Plan,\u201d finally presented in January 2020, does not even include the vision of a viable Palestinian state alongside Israel<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but instead suggests a sort of minimal autonomy for Palestinians without territorial contiguity, without independence, and without significant powers.<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><b>Settlement Policy in the Trump Era<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The American president does not set Israeli policy &#8211; the Israeli government does. That said, the American government does have significant influence on Israeli policy, especially on non Israel-internal issues which have regional and international implications, such as settlement policy in the occupied territories. Unlike previous American administrations, the Trump Administration has almost completely refrained from criticizing Israel\u2019s settlement policies and has even supported statements and actions that further develop the settlements.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Importantly, settlement development is not simply a matter of how many housing units are built, but also depends on the location of construction, the development of infrastructure, and the legal changes that enable Israel to deepen its control over the territories<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. In the past four years, there have been <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Overview_From-Occupation-to-Apartheid.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">substantial changes in the \u201crules of the game\u201d<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of settlement policy. Projects and construction have been promoted in areas where settlements are particularly destructive to the prospects of peace and the two-state solution.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Along with increasing settlement activity, there has also been a significant increase in the demolition of Plaestinian homes &#8211; in 2020, a record number of homes were demolished in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/systematic-dispossession-palestinian-communities-sheikh-jarrah-silwan\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">eviction of Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has continued in order to make way for more settlements. Six properties were evacuated in favor of government-sponsored settlers (<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Legal-paper-batan-al-hawa-sheikh-jarrah.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">according to the principle of exercising the \u201cright of return\u201d for Jews<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), along with 25 additional properties which were evacuated following settlers\u2019 purchase claims. For the first time since 2009, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/palestinian-family-sheikh-jarrah-faces-imminent-eviction-benefit-settlers\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a family was evicted from their home in Sheikh Jarrah<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for the benefit of settlers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><b>Planning<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Plans for Bringing 100,000 New Settlers to Areas that Israel Will Have to Evacuate<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the four years of the Trump Administration (2017-2020), an average of 7,792 housing units were proposed and approved in the settlements each year, as compared to an average of 2,940 units per year in the four previous years. This means that the number of housing units approved in the Trump era was 2.7 times the number approved in the Obama era.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Out of 26,331 housing units <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">built in the past four years, <\/span><b>20,629 housing units (78%)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are in settlements deep in the West Bank, areas that Israel will be forced to evacuate under a two-state agreement (according to the Geneva Initiative model). <\/span><b>This means that the Israeli government has advanced construction to house 100,000 settlers, each of whom will have to evacuate once an agreement is reached<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The construction plans include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>2,279 housing units in settlements in the heart of the West Bank between Ramallah and Nablus<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 1,249 units in Eli, 928 units in the Shvut Rachel, and 102 units in the new Amihai settlement<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>1,103 housing units in settlements surrounding Nablus<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 600 units in Har Bracha, 121 units Yizhar, 152 units in Shavei Shomron, 123 units in Itamar, and 107 units in Elon Moreh<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>2,687 housing units in settlements surrounding Ramallah<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 654 units in Beit El, 382 units in Dolev, 258 units in Harasha, 395 units in Kerem Reim, 190 units in Kochav Yaakov, 142 units in Ofra, 27 units in Psagot, and 669 units in Talmon and its outposts.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>3,401 housing units in E1<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: In February 2020, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/objection-to-building-a-new-settlement-in-e1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the Israeli government approved the advancement of construction plans in E1<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This construction is considered lethal to the prospect of a two-state solution because it divides the West Bank into two \u2013 a northern region and a southern region \u2013 and prevents the development of the central Ramallah-East Jerusalem-Bethlehem metropolis in the West Bank. The E1 plans have not progressed for many years due to international (including American) pressure that has been exerted on Israel to prevent such drastic measures.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Tenders for 1,077 housing units in Givat Hamatos<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Also in February 2020, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/construction-in-givat-hamatos-a-lethal-blow-to-the-prospect-of-peace\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the government issued a tender<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for the construction of 1,077 housing units in Givat Hamatos in East Jerusalem. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/construction-in-givat-hamatos-a-lethal-blow-to-the-prospect-of-peace\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The construction is intended to block the last remaining point of territorial contiguity between East Jerusalem and Bethlehem<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and prevent the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state. Advancing this plan in the past <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/why-is-givat-hamatos-so-significant\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cast a heavy shadow over Netanyahu\u2019s meeting with President Obama in September 2014<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Progress on new construction for settlements in Hebron<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The settlement in Hebron is one of the most sensitive places in the conflict, and it is the ugly face of Israeli control of the territories. In order to control a handful of settlers in the heart of a Palestinian city, the IDF takes extreme measures against the Palestinian population, including closing streets, houses, and stores. These measures have cost Israel its morality as well as its public image.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the first time since 2002, the government has promoted construction plans for new settlement construction inside the city of Hebron. In October 2017, the Higher Planning Council <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/state-hurriedly-issues-permit-for-31-settlement-units-in-hebron-ahead-of-us-election\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">approved a building permit for the construction of 31 housing units<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the Old Central Station area; <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/state-hurriedly-issues-permit-for-31-settlement-units-in-hebron-ahead-of-us-election\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the building permit was issued last week<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. In November 2018, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/government-announces-support-for-new-hebron-settler-compound\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the Minister of Defense approved plans<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for the construction of an additional 60 housing units <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/why-a-new-settlement-should-not-be-established-in-the-wholesale-market-in-hebron\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on the wholesale market in Hebron<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Progress of Plans &#8211; Housing Units by Years<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Tenders<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the four years of the Trump administration (2017 to 2020), tenders were issued for the building of an average of 2,425 housing units per year. This is twice as many as the previous four years, during which tenders were issued for an average of 1,164 units per year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The Infrastructure Revolution Preparing the Settlements to Absorb Another Million Settlers<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most important components in settlement development and construction is the road infrastructure. The moment that there are good, safe, fast roads, the settlements along those roads become more attractive and fill up. For example, a Peace Now analysis showed that <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/leiberman-road-report.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the opening of the \u201cLieberman Road\u201d (the road that bypasses Bethlehem on the east) in 2008 led to a doubling in the number of settlers in the area in less than a decade<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In recent years, the Netanyahu government has invested hundreds of millions of shekels in unprecedented road development since the construction of the bypass roads in the 1990s.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Among other things, the construction of significant central routes began with an investment of close to one billion shekels:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Doubling of the Tunnel Road<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/confiscation-tunnels-road\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quarrying of new tunnels and a new bridge<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on the Bethlehem Bypass from the west connects the settlements in the Bethlehem and Hebron areas to Jerusalem. Work began in 2019.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Al-Aroub Bypass <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/al-aroub-bypass-confiscation\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From the Gush Etzion junction south of the road that bypasses Halhul and Hebron<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Together with the Tunnels Road, this road will complete the doubling of the existing roads to four routes connecting Jerusalem with Kiryat Arba and Hebron. Work began in late 2020.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Eastern Ring Road (al-Za\u2019ayyim &#8211; Anata)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; This road, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/east-ring-road\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">also known as the \u201cApartheid Road<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, opened to traffic in 2018.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Huwwara bypass road south of Nablus<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/construction-permits-approved-for-two-bypass-roads-near-nablus-and-bethlehem\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">investmet of hundreds of millions and the expropriation of hundreds of dunams of Palestinian land<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for the benefit of four small settlements. The Tender for the construction of the road was published in 2020.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Qalandiya underpass <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; An interchange that will allow settlers north of Jerusalem to enter Israel without passing through Jerusalem itself, thereby avoiding traffic at the Hizma checkpoint. The detailed planning has been completed and work is expected to begin in 2021.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Other projects<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Doubling Road 446 from Modi\u2019in Illit to the Shilat Junction &#8211; Completed in 2019<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nabi Eliyas bypass road east of Qalqilya &#8211; Opened to traffic in 2018<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adam Junction Interchange<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Public transportation lane at the entrance to Pisgat Ze\u2019ev &#8211; Completed in 2019<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tunnel at French Hill Junction &#8211; Work began in 2020<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">South Eastern Ring Road &#8211; Work began in 2019<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Even more projects are in various stages of development and implementation. <\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Israel&#8217;s policy in the West Bank is determined by the Israeli government, yet the United States&#8217; influence on this policy is paramount.\u00a0In President Donald J. Trump&#8217;s four years in office, there have been far-reaching changes in the American position on Israeli settlements that have shattered the international consensus around a two-state solution, and which have&#8230;  <a class=\"excerpt-read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/greenlighting-de-facto-annexation-a-summary-of-trumps-impact-on-the-settlements\" title=\"Read Greenlighting De Facto Annexation: A Summary of Trump&#8217;s Impact on the Settlements\">Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":35115,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[183,16],"tags":[2813,20,45,2825,2556,3144,2930],"class_list":["post-35127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press","category-settlement-watch","tag-annexation","tag-hebron","tag-illegal-outposts","tag-outposts","tag-plans","tag-settlement-plans","tag-trump"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35127"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35127\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35875,"href":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35127\/revisions\/35875"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}