The "E1" plan.. A settlement plan for demographic change in Jerusalem

The "E1" plan is an Israeli settlement project located between the settlements of Ma'ale Adumim and Pisgat Ze'ev in Area C, which is under Israeli control. The project spans an area of about 12 square kilometers between the towns of Anata, Al-Eizariya, Al-Zaim, and Abu Dis, and aims to connect the settlement of Ma'ale Adumim to occupied Jerusalem while separating it from its Palestinian surroundings.

Historically, Israeli settlement expansion began after the complete occupation of Jerusalem in 1967, when Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin established the settlement of Ma'ale Adumim in 1975. Since then, the occupation's efforts to expel Palestinians and bring settlers to Jerusalem have accelerated, leading to the separation of Palestinians in the West Bank from the city.

In the early 1990s, Ariel Sharon proposed a plan to expand the settlement by building 2,500 housing units, but the government froze the plan due to the Oslo negotiations. However, the occupation's attempts to annex major settlements to Jerusalem continued, including the "E1" plan, which was announced in 1992.

In 1997, the Israeli Minister of Defense approved the plan, and in 2009, work on it was halted due to international pressure, but it resurfaced in 2012 after the United Nations granted Palestine the status of "non-member observer." This change in the international stance gave the occupation the green light to resume work on the plan.

The objectives of the "E1" plan include annexing the settlement of Ma'ale Adumim to the occupying state and separating Jerusalem from the West Bank, thereby enhancing Israeli control over the largest possible area of land. The plan also seeks to alter the demographic balance in favor of Israelis, hindering any opportunity to establish a geographically connected Palestinian state.

The "E1" plan faces widespread opposition from the international community, with many countries and organizations condemning it, considering it undermines peace prospects and threatens the establishment of a Palestinian state. The Palestinian Authority has deemed this plan a declaration of war on the two-state solution.

The Israeli measures to implement the "E1" plan include the confiscation of Palestinian land, the demolition of homes, and the forced displacement of Bedouin communities, reflecting the occupation's policy of promoting settlement at the expense of Palestinian rights.