Israel will begin work next month on a bypass road in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank. This road will block Palestinians from the heart of the West Bank and help Israel expand settlements there. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the plan aims to “bury the idea of a Palestinian state.” The bypass, called “sovereignty road,” is designed for Palestinian vehicles only to transit but will be enclosed and separate. Israeli vehicles will have exclusive access to nearby roads in the new settlement zone. The road is part of a plan to build a large, illegal new settlement in E1, a vital area between Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Ramallah. Critics call it the “apartheid road” because it forces Palestinians and Israelis to use separate routes. Hagit Ofran from Peace Now said the plan is about "land, not people," warning it will lead to the removal of Palestinian communities. The new settlement will cut off the northern and southern West Bank for Palestinians and isolate East Jerusalem. Palestinians affected have been notified and given 45 days to object. The road will go over houses in As Saraiya, which face demolition. Nearby communities like Elazariya, Abu Dis, and Sawahra will become isolated inside the settlement bloc. Currently, Palestinians must pass through a checkpoint to reach Jerusalem from E1. After the road and settlement are built, the checkpoint will be removed, allowing Israelis to travel smoothly while Palestinians lose access. Despite international condemnation from over 20 countries and a 2024 UN court ruling that called Israel’s occupation illegal, the government continues with aggressive settlement building. More than 3,000 new homes are planned for E1 near Ma’ale Adumim settlement. This move deepens tensions and threatens the future of a Palestinian state in the West Bank.