Emma Graham-Harrison
The Guardian / January 26, 2026
Israel plans to start work next month on a bypass that will close off the heart of the occupied West Bank to Palestinians and cement the de facto annexation of an area critical for the viability of a future Palestinian state.
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The road is a key part of the blueprint for a vast illegal new settlement in the E1 area east of Jerusalem, which would fragment the occupied West Bank.
The far-right Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, said the plans were intended to ‘bury the idea of a Palestinian state’.
Emma Graham-Harrison is The Guardian’s chief Middle East correspondent, based in Jerusalem
Israel poised to start construction of bypass through heart of West Bank
Israel pushes ahead with vast illegal settlement in heart of West Bank
