Israel orders demolition of nearly 50 Palestinian facilities near East Jerusalem for settlement project

Israeli authorities have ordered the demolition of nearly 50 shops and commercial facilities in the Palestinian town of Al-Eizariya, southeast of East Jerusalem, as part of measures paving the way for a controversial settlement project in the area, Palestinian officials said Wednesday.

The Jerusalem Governorate said in a statement that Israeli authorities verbally notified around 50 Palestinians to evacuate their businesses in the Al-Mashtal area at the main entrance to Al-Eizariya before Sunday morning.

The statement said the move aims to implement demolition orders originally issued in August 2025.

According to the governorate, Israeli authorities warned that the facilities and their contents would be demolished if owners failed to comply within the specified timeframe.

Palestinian officials said appeals against the demolition orders have been submitted to an Israeli court, with hearings expected later this month.

The governorate and municipal authorities linked the demolitions to the “E1” settlement project, which aims to connect the Maale Adumim settlement bloc with East Jerusalem.

Palestinian officials warn that the plan would effectively divide the occupied West Bank into northern and southern sections and isolate several Palestinian communities.

The municipal authorities also said the project includes a separate road infrastructure system involving tunnels and segregated roads for Palestinians and Israeli occupiers.

The E1 project has faced widespread international criticism for years over concerns it would undermine the territorial continuity of a future Palestinian state.

Last week, the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission said Israel carried out 37 demolition operations in the occupied West Bank during April, affecting 78 Palestinian structures, including homes, agricultural facilities and sources of livelihood.

According to Palestinian officials, Israel approved the E1 master plan in 1999 on approximately 12,000 dunams of confiscated Palestinian land, with later plans including settlement units, industrial zones, hotels and public parks.

Although Israeli governments repeatedly advanced the project, parts of it were frozen under international pressure, including plans announced in 2020 for 3,500 settlement units.

The international community and the UN consider the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, an occupied Palestinian territory and view Israeli settlements there illegal under international law.
In a landmark opinion in July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Sahin Demir in Istanbul.