"According to Khalilieh, the timing is directly linked to the shifting geopolitical landscape following the recent meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and United States President Donald Trump. The meeting served as a green light for continued settlement expansion, Khalilieh told Al Jazeera. The American position, which treats Jerusalem as being outside any negotiation process has encouraged the occupation to put this project into direct implementation, he added, noting that international criticism has been reduced to mere verbal objections without any deterrence."
"He explained that the Atarot settlement is one of the three major axes designed to complete the Greater Jerusalem vision: North: The Atarot project will link East Jerusalem with the Givat Zeev settlement bloc, effectively severing the city from Ramallah. East: The E1 plan aims to create a bridge between East Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim bloc. South: Expansions in Har Gilo and the new Nahal Heletz settlement will connect the city to the Gush Etzion bloc."
Israel plans to advance two major settlement projects in occupied East Jerusalem: 9,000 units on the Qalandiya/Atarot airport ruins and a Sheikh Jarrah project to displace 40 families. The Atarot plan was briefly shelved in December 2025 but has been revived following a high-level meeting between Israeli and US leaders, which has encouraged continued settlement expansion and reduced international deterrence to verbal objections. The Atarot development forms a northern axis linking East Jerusalem to the Givat Zeev bloc, while E1 and southern expansions would connect the city to Maale Adumim and Gush Etzion, fragmenting Palestinian territory and undermining a contiguous state.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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