Israeli authorities plan to advance an outline for 9,000 housing units in the Atarot area of northern East Jerusalem, a project Peace Now says would create an Israeli enclave and obstruct Palestinian territorial continuity. The proposal, first prepared in early 2020, still requires further government approvals despite past objections from Israeli ministries and reported U.S. opposition. Critics link the push to wider settlement expansion and recent West Bank demolitions, raids and settler violence amid the ongoing Israel–Gaza conflict.
Israel Advances Plan for 9,000 Homes in Atarot, East Jerusalem — Peace Now Warns It Could Cut Palestinian Contiguity
Israeli army excavators demolish a Palestinian house in the village of Qalandiya, south of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on December 16, 2025 [AFP]
Israeli authorities are preparing to advance an outline plan for 9,000 new housing units on the site of the former Qalandiya airport in northern East Jerusalem, a development critics say would create an Israeli enclave and hinder territorial continuity for Palestinians.
Project Details
The proposed Atarot neighbourhood is scheduled for outline approval by the District Planning and Building Committee, Peace Now said. According to the advocacy group, the development would be located within a densely populated Palestinian urban corridor that stretches from Ramallah and Kafr Aqab in the north through the Qalandiya refugee camp, ar-Ram, Beit Hanina and Bir Nabala.
"This is a destructive plan that, if implemented, would prevent any possibility of connecting East Jerusalem with the surrounding Palestinian area and would, in practice, prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel," Peace Now said.
Legal Status and Procedure
Most of the site is designated as "state land" by Israeli authorities, which the government says would reduce the need to seek permission from individual Palestinian landowners. The scheme dates back to early 2020, when Israel's Housing Ministry forwarded a proposal to the Jerusalem municipality for administrative preparation. The municipality completed the initial preparation, but the plan previously faced objections from Israel's Environmental Protection and Health ministries, and Peace Now said it had also encountered opposition from the Obama administration.
The outline approval would not by itself create immediate construction; the proposal requires further government review and formal approvals before it can proceed to tenders and contractor selection.
Wider Context
Critics place the Atarot proposal in the context of broader settlement expansion and moves many international observers regard as de facto annexation efforts in the occupied West Bank. The article links the proposal to a wider security and political environment shaped by Israel's military campaign in Gaza that began in October 2023, which the piece reports has resulted in more than 70,000 deaths.
Recent related developments include Israel's security cabinet approving steps to formalise 19 previously unauthorised West Bank settlements, ongoing demolition operations in Palestinian towns, and episodes of settler violence and raids across the West Bank.
Recent Incidents Cited
Local and human-rights groups reported that Israeli authorities began demolitions in Biddu (northwest of East Jerusalem) citing lack of permits, while in the central West Bank settlers reportedly burned vehicles and painted racist slogans in Ein Yabrud near Ramallah. Several Palestinians were detained during raids across the West Bank, including in Nablus, and local officials said the military planned to demolish 25 residential buildings in the Nur Shams refugee camp this week.
Next Steps: If the committee approves the outline, the plan will still require additional governmental confirmations and legal steps before construction could begin.
