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Israel Demolishes Dozens of Palestinian Shops for West Bank Road Project
Israeli bulldozers demolished dozens of shops in al-Eizariya this week to make way for a road project in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank. Israeli authorities said the structures were built without permits and that the road will reduce congestion for Palestinian towns. Palestinian officials stated the project will create separate road systems and could displace thousands of Bedouin Arabs.
May 12, 9:24 AM·2m read1 source
The IndependentAudio version
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Israeli bulldozers demolished dozens of Palestinian shops this week on the edge of the town of al-Eizariya, southeast of Jerusalem. The action cleared ground for a settlement-linked road project in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank. Israeli authorities said the demolitions were essential to construct a road intended to serve local Palestinian communities.
The structures, including car washes, scrap metal shops and vegetable stands, were built without permits, they said, and owners had received warnings for several years that enforcement was forthcoming. Palestinian officials stated the road forms part of a broader plan to divert Palestinian traffic away from a new highway built for nearby Israeli settlements.
They said the project will lead to separate road systems for Israelis and Palestinians and could result in the displacement of thousands of Bedouin Arabs living in the area.
Some shop owners received notices to evacuate less than a week before the demolitions. Attorneys appealed to Israel’s Supreme Court, but the demolitions proceeded. COGAT, the Israeli military body overseeing civil affairs in the West Bank, said the structures obstructed construction of the planned road meant to connect Palestinian towns.
Israeli authorities added that the new road system is intended to solve congestion and improve quality of life for Palestinian towns in the area. The Palestinian Authority said the demolitions are connected to Israel’s plans to build a tunnel and bypass road.
This would reroute Palestinian traffic off a major highway linking settlements to Jerusalem and cut off access to large areas of the West Bank, they said.
