JERUSALEM, February 5, 2026 (WAFA) – Israeli authorities began construction work Thursday on the colonial Road 45 north of occupied Jerusalem, as part of a colonial plan aimed at linking settlements north of Jerusalem and east of Ramallah to the city of Jerusalem, further consolidating colonial control over its surroundings.
The Jerusalem Governorate reported that the road will extend from the town of Mikhmas in the east to the Qalandiya Tunnel in the west, where it will later connect with the colonial Road 443. It is estimated to be approximately five kilometers long in its current phase, and is part of a network of colonial bypass roads that tighten the noose around occupied Jerusalem and redraw the surrounding landscape.
The Governorate explained that the project is intended to facilitate the movement of colonists and directly connect the settlement blocs north of Jerusalem and east of Ramallah to Jerusalem and within the 1948 territories. This, it added, is expected to encourage settlement expansion and attract colonists to live in settlements established around the city, while asserting control over the eastern and northern slopes of Jerusalem and altering the geographical and demographic character of the area.
It emphasized that the project is seen as a central tool in isolating occupied Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings and severing the geographical connection between the northern and central West Bank. This is part of the practical implementation of the Greater Jerusalem plan according to the Israeli concept, imposing permanent colonial realities on the ground that serve the annexation project and consolidate Israeli control over the city and its environs.
The occupation authorities seized approximately 280 dunams of Palestinian-owned land belonging to the towns of Mikhmas, Jaba', Al-Ram, and Kafr Aqab, north of occupied Jerusalem, for the purpose of constructing the road.
The seizure was carried out under military orders, despite objections from the residents. According to published data, the cost of constructing this colonial road is approximately 400 million shekels.
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