Jerusalem governorate: The colonial project north of the city represents de facto annexation in disguise. The Jerusalem Governorate asserted that the agreement announced by the 'Ministry of Construction and Housing' in the Israeli occupation government at the beginning of February to build approximately 2,780 colony units, aimed at expanding the 'Adam' settlement on Palestinian-owned land north of occupied Jerusalem, reveals the systematic annexation intentions sought by the occupation authorities.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the Governorate issued a statement clarifying that promoting the so-called 'expansion of the Adam settlement' is an attempt to obscure the true intentions. The plan indicates that the new settlement neighborhood will be managed as a part of the occupation municipality in Jerusalem, despite being formally presented as an extension of the existing settlement. This move is seen as a deliberate attempt to mask the annexation process through misleading planning terminologies.
The statement highlighted that the plan involves constructing hundreds of settlement units on land separate from the Adam settlement, currently lacking direct access roads. Although prior proposals suggested building a bridge to connect the areas, the construction would create geographical continuity with occupied Jerusalem. This effectively makes the project an extension of the "Neve Ya'akov" settlement, primarily designated for Haredi settlers. The planned access road to the neighborhood reinforces this connection, as it originates from and returns to Neve Ya'akov, thus expanding the occupation's municipal control in the city.
The Governorate further noted that the plan's progress followed extensive colonial changes implemented by the extremist Israeli Finance Minister, Smotrich, within the "Civil Administration." These changes included mechanisms to expedite the approval of settlement projects in the West Bank, potentially allowing the plan's execution within a few years.
The Jerusalem Governorate emphasized that these measures reveal the occupation's policy of gradual annexation and the imposition of sovereignty by force. The project aims to alter the geographic and demographic character of occupied Jerusalem, thereby undermining any possibility of a political solution based on international law.
On February 3, the "Ministry of Construction and Housing" in the occupation government announced the signing of an agreement with a budget of approximately 120 million shekels. The plan includes constructing about 2,780 new settlement units and developing roads, infrastructure, and various facilities near the "Adam" settlement on Palestinian-owned land.