SAFA- Israeli authorities are advancing plans to build approximately 2,300 new settlement units on 195 dunams of land along the southern edge of occupied Jerusalem, expanding the Gilo settlement toward Route 60, the main highway linking Jerusalem with Bethlehem.
The project forms part of Israel's broader effort to expand the settlement belt surrounding Jerusalem and further separate the city from Palestinian communities in the southern occupied West Bank.
Gilo was established in 1971 on land belonging to Beit Safafa, Sharafat, Al-Walaja, and Beit Jala. Built on approximately 2,750 dunams, the settlement occupies elevated ground overlooking Jerusalem.
Since the 1990s, Israeli authorities have approved dozens of expansion plans for Gilo. Today, the settlement is home to around 45,000 settlers, while its built-up area has expanded to approximately 10,000 dunams.
On Wednesday, the Israeli NGO Ir Amim, which monitors developments in Jerusalem, revealed plans for the new settlement project, warning that it would further isolate occupied East Jerusalem from the southern West Bank.
According to Ir Amim, the project would extend Gilo southward to the outskirts of Route 60. Combined with ongoing construction in Givat Hamatos and the planned expansion of Har Homa, the project would further sever Jerusalem from the Bethlehem area.
The organisation said that at least 28 dunams included in the project were confiscated from Palestinian landowners and later declared "state land" before being allocated for settlement construction.
Ir Amim also warned that additional privately owned Palestinian land could be affected, as dozens of dunams within the project area remain classified as having "unknown ownership."
Historically, the land formed part of the agricultural territory of Beit Jala, and its owners are believed to be residents of the city. When Israel unilaterally expanded Jerusalem's municipal boundaries following the 1967 war, it incorporated these lands into the municipality while leaving Beit Jala itself outside the city limits.
The planned construction area includes olive groves containing trees that are several decades old, reflecting the land's longstanding agricultural use by Palestinian families.
Accelerating Settlement Expansion
Settlement affairs expert Bassam Bahr said the Gilo project is part of a wider acceleration of settlement construction around Jerusalem.
Speaking to Safa News Agency, Bahr cited the expansion of the Ma'ale Adumim settlement, where construction is underway on a new district known as the "Bird Neighbourhood," comprising around 3,200 settlement units.
According to Bahr, the Gilo expansion reflects an Israeli policy of accelerating settlement construction while simultaneously developing roads, public infrastructure, parks, commercial centres, and employment zones throughout southern Jerusalem.
At the same time, Israeli authorities continue restricting Palestinian construction in the targeted areas. Home demolitions continue in Beit Safafa and Al-Walaja, while building permits for Palestinian residents are routinely denied.
Bahr said Israel is seeking, ahead of the next Knesset elections, to transform long-standing plans into irreversible facts on the ground through land annexation, settlement expansion, the construction of new housing units, the establishment of additional settlements, and the enlargement of existing ones in and around Jerusalem.
Judaization of Jerusalem
Bahr argued that Jerusalem remains the central focus of Israeli settlement policy, saying expansion across the occupied West Bank ultimately serves a broader strategy aimed at reshaping the city.
He said the projects are intended to Judaize Jerusalem, isolate it from its Palestinian surroundings, and sever its geographic and demographic continuity with the occupied West Bank.
He pointed to recent decisions affecting Jabal Abu Ghneim, Gilo, and areas north of Jerusalem near Qalandia, as well as additional projects approved in the E1 area east of the city.
According to Bahr, all of these initiatives fall within what Israel refers to as the "Greater Jerusalem" project.
He added that further settlement plans have been announced east of Jerusalem, while additional proposals remain under review to expand settlement areas in both the northern and southern parts of the city.
Reshaping the Landscape
Bahr said Israel is seeking to alter Jerusalem's demographic balance in favour of settlers by surrounding Palestinian communities and further isolating them from the southern West Bank.
He warned that the Israeli government is moving rapidly to impose irreversible changes across Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, further restricting future Palestinian urban development.
"If these policies continue," Bahr said, "Palestinians will remain confined to their existing communities, with little or no possibility for future expansion."
Israeli settlement construction in the occupied Palestinian territories is widely regarded as illegal under international law, a position rejected by Israel, which continues to expand settlements across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
