GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center) Haroun Nasser Al-Din, a member of the Political Bureau of Hamas, affirmed on Tuesday that the fate of around 7,000 Palestinian residents living in 22 communities in the Jerusalem desert is now in danger of forced displacement.
In a press statement, the head of Hamas’s Jerusalem Affairs Office explained that this large-scale displacement is directly linked to the Israeli E1 settlement plan and the “Sovereignty Road” project, particularly targeting the communities of Jabal al-Baba and Wadi al-Jamal, which now face isolation and uprooting.
He emphasized that these plans amount to a war crime of forced displacement and a blatant violation of Palestinian rights. They are part of a colonial-settlement effort aimed at fragmenting Jerusalem and the entirety of the West Bank, undermining the possibility of a geographically connected, independent Palestinian state.
Nasser Al-Din called on the Arab and Islamic nations, and freedom-loving people around the world, to assume their responsibilities and take urgent, practical steps to halt these dangerous schemes. He urged for intensified political and economic pressure to stop the ongoing settler aggression against Palestinian land and holy sites.
He reaffirmed Hamas’s unwavering support for the steadfast people of Jerusalem, stressing the Movement’s commitment to resistance, perseverance, and defending the land. He added that Jerusalem will always remain purely Palestinian and that Israel’s Judaization and settlement policies will not succeed in erasing its identity or historical landmarks.
Last month, the Israeli occupation authorities began digging a tunnel connecting the area of Al-Za’im, northeast of Occupied Jerusalem, to the southern edge of the town of Al-Eizariya, separated from the Old City by only the Mount of Olives.
The settlement project is officially referred to in Israel as the “Fabric of Life Road,” but Palestinians call it “Sovereignty Road” about its political objectives.
This move aligns with Israel’s renewed implementation of the “E1” or “Eastern Gateway” project, first drafted in 1994 to cover 12,440 dunums of land. It aims to build 3,500 settlement units and 10 hotels. Though first approved in 1997, with some infrastructure laid and a police station relocated to the area, it was previously frozen due to pressure from the US and Western countries, who feared it would collapse the peace process at the time.
