Jerusalem Governorate: Colonial Project in the Northern City Represents a De Facto Annexation

SadaNews: The Jerusalem Governorate confirmed that the agreement announced by the so-called Ministry of Construction and Housing in the Israeli occupation government at the beginning of February 2026 to build about 2,780 settlement units to expand the "Adam" settlement established on citizens' lands north of occupied Jerusalem reveals, at its core, the intentions of systematic annexation that the occupation authorities seek. It serves as a misleading cover aimed at expanding the boundaries of the occupation municipality in Jerusalem beyond the Green Line, as part of a studied policy to impose new sovereign realities on the ground without an official announcement.

The governorate indicated in a statement issued today, Monday, that promoting the so-called "expansion of the Adam settlement" is merely an attempt to circumvent the truth. The plan shows that the new colonial neighborhood will effectively be managed as a neighborhood affiliated with the occupation municipality in Jerusalem, despite being formally presented as part of the settlement, in an overt attempt to conceal the annexation process behind misleading planning titles.

It clarified that the plan stipulates the establishment of hundreds of colonial units on lands geographically separate from the Adam settlement, which are currently not connected to it by any direct access roads, despite previous proposals to create a bridge between them. Implementing construction in this area will achieve geographical continuity with occupied Jerusalem, making the project a true extension of the "Nofei Ya'akov" settlement designated for Haredi settlers, especially since the planned access road to the neighborhood starts from and returns to this settlement, effectively expanding the municipal influence of the occupation in the city.

The governorate added that pushing and accelerating the plan came after extensive colonial changes made by the occupation's Finance Minister within the so-called "Civil Administration," which included creating mechanisms to expedite the approval of settlement projects in the West Bank, potentially allowing the plan to be implemented within a few years.

It also pointed out that the so-called Ministry of Construction and Housing in the occupation government announced on February 3, 2026, the signing of an agreement with a budget of approximately 120 million shekels to establish about 2,780 new settlement units, accompanied by the paving of roads, infrastructure, and various facilities near the "Adam" settlement established on citizens' lands.

The Jerusalem Governorate concluded its statement by emphasizing that all these measures expose the occupation's policy of gradual annexation and imposing sovereignty by de facto rule, as part of a project aimed at changing the geographic and demographic character of occupied Jerusalem and undermining any possibility for a political solution based on international law.