Following Meretz, US pressure: Israel suspends plan to connect Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim

Gantz and Bennett order halt to discussions on approving construction plan for E-1 area, due to objections from Meretz and the US.

Israel National News 

E1 land, between Jerusalem and Maale AdumimFlash 90

Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett have ordered the Judea and Samaria High Planning Committee to suspend discussions on approving the construction plan for the E-1 area, which connects Ma’ale Adumim and Jerusalem, Israel Hayom reports.

This is a plan that covers an area of ??about 12,000 dunams, most of them state-owned land, and which centers around the construction of about 3,500 housing units.

The committee began discussing the plan only at the end of Benjamin Netanyahu’s last term as Prime Minister, after it was frozen for many years. Bennett and Gantz’s intervention came in the fourth phase of the plans six approval stages, after most of the Palestinian Arabs’ objections to the plan were heard.

According to the Israel Hayom report, the directive to stop the discussions and stop promoting the plan followed fierce objections by the Meretz party, which made it clear that it considered the E-1 plan a “red line”, as well as opposition from the US, which has been consistent in this matter for many years. The United States favors the Palestinian Arab position on E-1 and claims that the plan interrupts the Palestinian continuum from north to south and “may prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state in the future.”

The Israeli position, on the other hand, is that the plan does not interrupt any such sequence, which does not exist in any case, and that, if necessary, the E-1 area can be bypassed both by roads and tunnels and by construction. All prime ministers, since Yitzhak Rabin who initiated the plan, have expressed public support for it but have had difficulty advancing it due to the political pressure.

Israel Hayom notes that for years, there has been an almost complete consensus in Israel regarding the need to connect Ma’ale Adumim to Jerusalem through the construction of E-1, and in the future – to apply Israeli sovereignty over this area, as part of the permanent borders of the State of Israel. Eight prime ministers, including Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert, pledged to build in E-1, but with the exception of the construction of a police station in the area, construction has not advanced due to pressure and opposition from the US and the EU.

“After years of a freeze, when we finally started moving in the direction of the planning approval procedures, this intervention is unacceptable,” Ma’ale Adumim Mayor Benny Kashriel told Israel Hayom, adding, “We thought Gantz was the successor of Rabin, who initiated the plan and declared E-1 lands to be state lands. Unfortunately, we are being deceived. This was done without consulting us and without our agreement. It is time to realize our hold on these lands through construction, before others take over. The claim that E-1 interrupts a Palestinian sequence is not true. Anyone who knows the area knows this. It’s just an excuse to stop us from evolving and growing.”

Gantz’s office declined to comment on the report, while Bennett’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

February 7, 2022 | 8 Comments »

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  1. Thousands of New Settlement Homes in Response to Ma’ale Adumim Terror Attack
    By Jewish Press News Desk – 14 Adar I 5784 – February 22, 2024 0

    Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Thursday evening that a decision was made to build thousands of new homes in response to the murderous terror attack this morning outside of Ma’ale Adumim.

    Smotrich called it “an appropriate Zionist response.”

    In the discussion that took place tonight, with the participation of Prime Minister Netanyahu, the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Finance and the Minister in the Ministry of Defense and the Minister for Strategic Affairs, it was decided to convene the Supreme Planning Council to approve thousands of housing units in the following communities in Judea and Samaria:

    Maale Adumim about 2,350 units.
    Kedar about 300 units.
    Efrat 694 units.

    Minister of Finance and Minister in the Ministry of Defense Bezalel Smotrich declared [translated], “Let every terrorist plotting to harm us know that any raising of a hand against the citizens of Israel will be met with a blow of death and destruction and the deepening of our eternal grip on the entire Land of Israel.”

    Gush Etzion Regional Council Mayor, and Yesha Council Chairman, Shlomo Ne’eman said this about tonight’s government decision to fast-track the approval of thousands of new housing units in Judea and Samaria:

    “We praise the decision to convene the Higher Planning Council in order to approve thousands of housing units in Ma’ale Adumim, Kedar, Gush Etzion, and Efrat, and thank the Prime Minister, Defense Minister, Finance Minister, and Minister of Strategic Affairs, on a Zionist response to this morning’s terrible terrorist attack. The development of Judea and Samaria is the appropriate response to anyone who tries to harm us or undermine our rights to the land. We hope that the rest of the housing units awaiting approval will be greenlighted as soon as possible. There is no need to wait for another deadly attack. Our enemies should know that we do not cower from acts of terrorism. We must continue to develop and establish our hold on all parts of the Land of Israel.”

    https://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/settlements-israel/thousands-of-new-settlement-homes-in-response-to-maale-adumim-terror-attack/2024/02/22/

    What I’ve been advocating for years! Way to go!!

  2. @Sebastian Zor

    The man lives on Mars.

    Unfortunately, he lives here, on Earth, in Israel (I am talking about Beilin an his “”).
    confederation plan”).

    The problem is, what he is doing has been completely approved, otherwise he wouldn’t be presenting it in the UN.

    This “initiative” scares me to death, especially because it was created together with his “Palestinian colleague”.

    Beilin was instrumental in both the creation of the Oslo Accords in 1993 and the grassroots Geneva Initiative in 2003.

    Beilin’s plan is not formally part of the Geneva Initiative or the NGO that works to preserve that option.

    But the Geneva Initiative, with a border based on the pre-1967 lines with mutually agreed land swaps, is a pillar of Berlin’s plan.

    https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/article-695701

    This is from a comment under the article which shows only some of the possible consequences of Beilin’s plan: Among the confederation plan’s unique features is an option for settlers to remain in the West Bank as residents, not citizens, within the final boundaries of a Palestinian state, Beilin explained”. So, half a million Israeli Jews currently living in Judea and Samaria will remain there as “residents”, not citizens;
    But more than 2 million Muslim Arab Israeli citizens will remain in Israel as citizens, not residents.
    In addition, Israel will be flooded with half a million Muslim Arab refugees (i.e. equal number of Jews living in Judea and Samaria). These and their offspring will eventually become Israeli citizens, not residents; in a few yrs you have near equal number of Jews and Arabs living in Israel proper and millions of Arabs living in Judea and Samaria; the Jewish State is dead.
    100% of Judea and Samaria and the so-called “East” Jerusalem becomes Palestinian Arab land and falls under its sovereignty.
    The Palestinian Arabs will be able to allow millions of Palestinians Arabs from Lebanon and across the Arab world into Judea and Samaria.

  3. @Reader

    Among the confederation plan’s unique features is an option for settlers to remain in the West Bank as residents, not citizens, within the final boundaries of a Palestinian state, Beilin explained. In exchange an equal number of Palestinians would be granted residency within Israel, he added.

    Ha ha. Sure.The man lives on Mars.
    Monty Python architects
    https://youtu.be/QfArEGCm7yM

  5. While harrassing Israel for building on sovereign Israeli land, the Biden administration is backing Iran’s nuclear weapons development program, which is directed first and foremost against Israel, but also against the United States and the European states. This from Gateway Pundit:

    Biden Regime Continues Its Suicide Mission of the West — Waives Sanctions on Iran’s Civilian Nuclear Program — Releases $29 Billion in Frozen Funds to Radical Islamic Regime

    The Biden regime continued its suicide mission of the West on Friday.

    Clueless Secretary of State Tony Blinken waived sanctions on the Iran’s civilian nuclear program abd released an estimated $29 million to the radical Islamic regime.

    The Biden regime hopes that Tehran will return to talks if they give them $29 billion. The US gets nothing.

    Israel must be thrilled with this insanity.

    TRENDING: UPDATE: Man Who Rammed Car into Winnipeg Freedom Convoy Protesters is Antifa Activist David Zegarac

    The Daily Mail reported:

    The US State Department is waiving sanctions on Iran’s civilian nuclear program in the hope that Tehran will return to the 2015 nuclear agreement, a senior official said Friday.

    As U.S. negotiators head back to Vienna for what could be a make-or-break session, Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed several sanctions waivers related to Iran’s civilian nuclear activities. The move reverses the Trump administration’s decision to rescind them.

    The resumption of the waiver, ended by Trump in 2020, ‘would be essential to ensuring Iran’s swift compliance’ if a new deal on controlling Tehran’s nuclear program can be reached in talks in Vienna, the State Department official said.

    The waivers are intended to entice Iran to return to compliance with the 2015 deal that it has been violating since former President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and re-imposed U.S. sanctions.

    The removal of sanctions would see the release of Iran’s frozen funds held abroad, estimated at some $29 billion about one-third of what’s held abroad by the country.

  6. I am reposting this here because it is relevant and really frightening and no one noticed it on chat:

    It is NOT Beilin’s initiative – he is being SENT to the UN and US by the government, he wouldn’t dare to go there without its approval.

    Reader
    February 7, 2022 at 11:47 am

    THIS IS THE PROBLEM!!! NOT Whoopi Goldberg.

    Israeli-Palestinian confederation plan to be presented to UN, US by Beilin
    Former justice minister Yossi Beilin’s plan for an Israeli-Palestinian confederation, allowing for settlements, is headed to the UN and US.
    By TOVAH LAZAROFF
    Published: FEBRUARY 6, 2022 21:36
    Updated: FEBRUARY 7, 2022 11:03

    https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/article-695701

    ANOTHER POISONED BAIT!

  7. Bibi also caved on this before.

    Israeli governments have to stop caving on this. As far as I am concerned this is so important that Israel needs to find a way to get a right-wing government that will build in E-1. This is vital for Israel to control both the Jerusalem area and the Jordan Valley Area.

    1

  8. Bennett caving after being the guy to the right of Netanyahu. Appalling.
    Benny Gantz, after being chief of general staff, how does he end up here, caving to Meretz and Joey, is he taking estrogen in preparation for a transition?