Israeli authorities have ordered the demolition of nearly 50 shops and commercial facilities in the Palestinian city of Al-Eizariya, southeast of East Jerusalem, as part of measures to pave the way for controversial settlement projects in the area, Palestinian officials said on Wednesday.
The Jerusalem Governorate said in a statement that Israeli authorities verbally informed about 50 Palestinians to vacate their businesses in the Al-Mashtal area at the main entrance to Al-Eizariya before Sunday morning.
The statement said the move was aimed at implementing an eviction order originally issued in August 2025.
According to the provincial government, Israeli authorities warned that the facility and its contents would be demolished if the owner failed to comply within the specified time period, reported Anadolu (6/5).
Palestinian officials said an appeal against the demolition order had been filed with an Israeli court, with a hearing expected later this month.
Provincial and municipal governments have linked the demolition to the "E1" settlement project, which aims to connect the Maale Adumim settlement block with East Jerusalem.
Palestinian officials warned that the plan would effectively divide the occupied West Bank into a northern and southern part and isolate several Palestinian areas.
The city government also said the project includes a separate road infrastructure system involving tunnels and separate roads for Palestinians and the Israeli occupation.
The E1 project has faced widespread international criticism for years over concerns it would undermine the future territorial contiguity of a Palestinian state.
Last week, the Palestinian Commission for the Resistance to Walls and Settlements said Israel carried out 37 demolition operations in the occupied West Bank during April, affecting 78 Palestinian buildings, including homes, agricultural facilities, and sources of livelihood.
According to Palestinian officials, Israel approved the E1 master plan in 1999 over some 12,000 dunams of confiscated Palestinian land, with subsequent plans including housing units, industrial zones, hotels, and public parks.
Although the Israeli government has repeatedly advanced the project, some of the projects have been frozen under international pressure, including a plan announced in 2020 for 3,500 settlement units.
The international community and the United Nations consider the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, to be occupied Palestinian territory and view Israeli settlements there as illegal under international law.
In a landmark opinion in July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
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