Defense Minister Naftali Bennett approved on Monday a project known as the "sovereignty road" – a highway that links Maaleh Adumim to Jerusalem. Once complete, the road will allow Palestinians to travel between the Palestinian village Al-Zaim and Anata in northern Jerusalem, where the Hizme checkpoint is located, without passing through Jewish areas.
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In addition, the road means that Israel will be able to start construction in the E1 zone.
In E1, the project provides the Palestinians with a separate road that is designed to provide them a thoroughfare that does not pass through the Maaleh Adumim bloc.
"Today, we are giving the sovereignty road a green light and taking our first steps to connect Jerusalem and Maaleh Adumim. The project will improve the quality of life for the residents; prevent needless friction with the Palestinian population; and most important – will allow settlement construction to continue. Applying sovereignty through actions, not words – this is what we'll continue to do," Bennett said.
The defense establishment has been working on the project for approximately a decade. Now that it has received approval, the Defense Ministry will begin the planning stage in conjunction with the Transportation and Road Safety Ministry, which will be responsible for implementing the initiative.
