Israeli occupation authorities have formally approved two major colonial construction plans—420/4/7 and 420/4/10—in the E1 zone east of occupied Jerusalem, in the occupied West Bank, clearing the way for tenders and the start of illegal building.
The plans authorize 3,426 new housing units for the illegal Israeli colony of Ma’ale Adumim, marking a significant escalation in settlement expansion.
According to the Jerusalem Governorate, the approval follows a series of planning procedures.
On August 13, 2025, Israel’s subcommittee for objections dismissed all appeals against the two plans.
The Higher Planning Council ratified them on August 20, and the final approval notice was published on October 21.
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The E1 project is designed to physically link Ma’ale Adumim to occupied East Jerusalem while isolating Palestinian towns such as Al-Eizariya, Abu Dis, and At-Tur.
Spanning roughly 12,000 dunums, the project targets lands belonging to Isawiya, At-Tur, Anata, Al-Eizariya, and Abu Dis.
It is part of the broader “Greater Jerusalem” scheme, which aims to prevent Palestinian urban expansion and consolidate illegal colonies east of the city.
The E1 blueprint includes several subplans:
- Plan 420/4/10: 2,176 housing units
- Plan 420/4/7: 1,250 housing units
- Plan 420/4/3: 256 housing units, 10 hotels with over 2,000 rooms, and public parks
- Plan 420/4/2: Industrial zone
- Plan 420/4/9: Police headquarters (already built)
- Plan 420/4/1: Water reservoir (already built)
- Additional plans include a cemetery and a mining zone
The Governorate warned that the project is intended to fragment the West Bank by severing its northern and southern regions.
A bypass road would connect Az-Za’ayyem directly to Al-Eizariya, avoiding Ma’ale Adumim entirely. This would block Palestinian expansion eastward, isolate communities, and link illegal colonies from Ma’ale Adumim to Neve Yaakov, forming what Israel calls the “Eastern Ring” of settlements.
The Governorate condemned the approval as a dangerous turning point in Israel’s colonial expansion, threatening Palestinian existence in East Jerusalem.
It called on the international community to act urgently to halt the project and its destructive impact on the city and its residents.
All of Israel’s colonies in the occupied West Bank, including those in and around occupied East Jerusalem, are illegal under International Law, the Fourth Geneva Convention in addition to various United Nations and Security Council resolutions. They also constitute war crimes under International Law.
Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits collective punishment and acts of terror against civilian populations.
Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states: “The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” It also prohibits the “individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory”.
Articles 53 and 147, prohibit the destruction of civilian property and classify pillage as a war crime.
