The Occupation Municipality Approves Settlement Plan in Jerusalem

SadaNews - The so-called District Committee for Planning and Building in the occupied Jerusalem Municipality has approved the submission of plan No. "1049873", paving the way for the establishment of about 450 settlement units in the heart of the Palestinian neighborhood of Umm Laisun in East Jerusalem, according to data from the Israeli organization "Ir Amim".

The "Topodia" company had submitted the plan for the first time in 2022; however, it remained frozen for over two years as the district committee conditioned the expansion of the road leading to the project site before completing the approval processes.

Since private sector developers do not have the authority to submit plans for the expansion of public roads that do not fall within their ownership, this condition could not be fulfilled.

According to a statement issued by "Ir Amim" today, Sunday, "this impasse was resolved only after the Israeli municipality in Jerusalem joined the project as a proposing party for the plan, which allowed the inclusion of the road expansion project within the same plan and removed the last obstacle that prevented proceeding with its submission."

The Umm Laisun neighborhood is located between Jabal Mukaber and Sur Baher and currently includes about 800 housing units, most of which are two or three-story buildings. The new plan entails adding about 450 housing units in buildings that could reach ten stories, which will drastically change the architectural character and demographic composition of the neighborhood.

"Ir Amim" reported that the "Topodia" company is under the control of a registered company in Australia, whose board includes the Australian businessman Kevin Burmeister, right-wing activist Ehud Ragonis, and the former spokesperson for the settler organization "El’ad".

Both are also involved in promoting other settlement projects in Jerusalem, including the "Nof Tzion" settlement located within the Jabal Mukaber neighborhood.

The company claims it purchased the land from Jewish heirs who bought it in the 1930s and uses these claims to justify the establishment of the project.

According to "Ir Amim", the project is unprecedented in size; the largest existing settlement neighborhood within a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem is "Ma'aleh HaZeitim" in Ras al-Amud, which includes about 120 housing units, whereas the new project in Umm Laisun is expected to include around 450 housing units and accommodate nearly two thousand settlers in the heart of an existing Palestinian neighborhood.

The organization believes that the involvement of the Israeli municipality in Jerusalem in the project is not merely a planning decision but reflects a clear political choice. Instead of avoiding a project that would increase friction and undermine the stability of the neighborhood, the municipality opted to take a direct role in advancing one of the largest and most impactful settlement projects in East Jerusalem in recent years.

Aviv Tetersky, a researcher at "Ir Amim", stated: "The Israeli municipality in Jerusalem did not only approve this project but took direct action to rescue it after it had been stuck for more than two years. This was not a technical planning decision but a clear political choice to support the establishment of the largest settlement neighborhood within a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem. Instead of protecting the residents of Umm Laisun and preventing the emergence of a new flashpoint in the city, the municipality chose to align itself with the agenda of the settlement movement and contribute to advancing one of the largest and most impactful settlement projects in Jerusalem in recent years."

IsraelJerusalemNetanyahu's GovernmentSettlementJabal MukaberSettlement UnitsUmm Laisun NeighborhoodSmotrich