From the Liveblog of
Monday, June 15, 2020
Construction begins on ‘The American Road’ encircling Jerusalem
Israel has begun building a bypass road linking West Bank settlements to Jerusalem, in a project dubbed “The American Road” that is set to cost over $250 million, Reuters reports.
The road will connect settlements north and south of the capital to the city, as well as cut travel times for East Jerusalem neighborhoods, city officials say. It is poised to be completed in the summer of 2021, says the report.
Fadi Al-Hidmi, the Palestinian Minister of Jerusalem Affairs, tells Reuters the project “cuts off Palestinian neighborhoods within the city from one another.” Jerusalem officials counter that it will benefit both Jewish and Arab residents of Jerusalem.
“It doesn’t unite the settlements. It’s not about uniting borders or municipal lines,” says Deputy Mayor Arieh King, a hawkish council member. “But it does connect them more on the daily level – whether it’s studies, tourism or commerce. And then in practice you create a huge Jerusalem metropolis.”
Critics say the road undermines the possibility of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The building comes amid ramped up talk of prospective Israeli annexation of portions of the West Bank, which could begin in July under the Trump peace plan.
The Times of Israel Community.