Israeli Highway Plans Draw Criticism

"An Israeli newspaper revealed that the government has ordered the expropriation of Palestinian land to build a highway.

Israeli and Palestinian analysts believe the move is meant to give the Jewish state control over a large chunk of Palestinian territory from Jerusalem east to the Jordan Valley.

The Israeli army issued the order to expropriate 1,100 dunams of land from four Arab villages, the Israeli broadsheet Haaretz reported yesterday. (A dunam is 1,000 square metres.)

The Defence Ministry confirmed that the order was given to the Israel Defence Forces on Aug. 9, and said the 16-kilometre road is meant to be a "Palestinian highway" that will provide contiguity between Palestinian communities to the north and south of a so-called finger of Israel's controversial separation barrier.

The barrier's fingers will extend deep into the West Bank, and one will include the settlements in the area of Maaleh Adumim, a few minutes drive from Jerusalem.

A number of observers believe that the real purpose of the new highway is to pave the way for Israel to build up the so-called E-1 zone between Jerusalem and Maaleh Adumim, and to destroy the contiguity of a Palestinian state.

Israel has long been planning to develop the geopolitically strategic E-1 area, the last stretch of land separating Jerusalem from Maaleh Adumim, but was forced to stop in 2005, as a result of U.S. pressure.

Palestinian information minister Mustafa Barghouti said Israel's latest move is part of a plan to expropriate land from Jerusalem all the way to the Jordan Valley, where Israel has already severely limited Palestinian access.

Recent reports by the United Nations and the Israeli human-rights organization B'Tselem reveal that Israel has been creating an increasingly intricate system inside the West Bank that allows Israelis free access to about 1,660 kilometres of roads and limits Palestinian access by roadblocks, check points and a permit system."