Step towards annexation? Israel to link major settlement to Jerusalem with ‘Fabric of Life Road’

Israeli security cabinet gives final approval for so-called ‘Fabric of Life Road’ plan, which will bypass Palestinian towns on road linking major settlement to Jerusalem, with both advocates and critics saying move is needed to facilitate annexation.

By World Israel News Staff

One of the largest Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria is slated to be linked directly to Jerusalem, with a new transportation arrangement to bypass Palestinian Arab towns in a move that both critics and supporters say is a major step towards the possible application of Israeli sovereignty.

On Saturday night, the Israeli security cabinet voted to grant final approval to the third and final stage of a road development plan in the Jerusalem envelope area, which will, once completed, provide an alternative set of roads linking Palestinian Arab towns south and east of the Israeli capital city.

Currently, Palestinian Arab movement from Judea to Samaria and the Jordan Valley area relies in part on the use of traffic arteries used heavily by Israeli drivers — including the road linking Jerusalem to Ma’ale Adumim.

The third-largest Israeli town in Judea and Samaria, Ma’ale Adumim is home to some 41,000 people and has long been expected to be retained by Israel even under plans promoted over the past quarter century for a Palestinian state.

Adjacent to Ma’ale Adumim are several other Israeli towns, including Kfar Adumim, and the Mishor Adumim industrial zone.

Located just four miles east of Jerusalem, the Adumim bloc and its over 50,000 residents are linked to the capital via Highway 1, the primary road linking the Tel Aviv area in the west to the Dead Sea and Jericho district in the east, via Jerusalem.

Under the ‘Fabric of Life Road’ proposal drafted by Defense Minister Israel Katz (Likud), sometimes referred to as the “Sovereignty Road” plan, and passed by the security cabinet, the Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration will spend $91 million to build additional roads linking Palestinian Arab towns in the area, bypassing Highway 1 around the Adumim bloc.

The money will be taken from a fund set up by the Civil Administration with taxes collected from Palestinian Arab workers employed inside the State of Israel.

The new road system would enable Palestinian drivers to travel from the Bethlehem area in Judea to Jericho without using Highway 1 in the Adumim bloc area.

Nearby Arab towns, including Al-Azariya and the illegal Khan al-Ahmar encampment, would also be linked to the new “Fabric of Life Road,” enabling Israel to close a large section of Highway 1 to cars bearing Palestinian Authority license plates.

Ma’ale Adumim Mayor Guy Yifrach hailed the decision on Sunday morning. “We are delighted to reach a time like this. A historic political decision that we brought to the Security Cabinet, the construction of the ‘Sovereignty Road,’ was approved tonight. This will significantly improve the security of the residents of Ma’ale Adumim and the surrounding area and will drastically reduce traffic congestion in the area.”

Yifrach called it “one of the most important decisions was made for the city of Ma’ale Adumim, for Jewish residents in Judea and Samaria and for the capital of Israel, Jerusalem.”

“The project will include a connection between Al-Azariya and A-Zaim through an underground tunnel and will allow Palestinian traffic from southern Judea and Samaria to the north – without passing through Israeli roads. This is a historic moment, which proves how determination, cooperation and faith in the justice of our path has paid off.”

Supporters of Israeli sovereignty touted the move as a preparatory step towards annexation – a claim echoed by opponents of the move.

The far-left Peace Now group, which is opposed to Israel’s presence in Judea and Samaria, called the planned road network an “apartheid road,” which will facilitate Israel applying sovereignty over the Adumim bloc.

“This has nothing to do with improving Palestinian transportation,” a spokesperson for the group said. “It’s about enabling the annexation of roughly 3% of the West Bank, while funding it with money collected through Israel’s control over the territories — funds that by law are meant to serve Palestinian needs. This is very bad news for Israel and could spell the end of any viable two-state solution.”

AnnexationJerusalemMa'ale Adumim