For the first time since the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel is advancing plans that would effectively expand Jerusalem beyond its long-standing municipal boundaries. A new development agreement between the state and the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council would establish nearly 2,800 housing units in what is officially described as a new “neighborhood” of Adam, northeast of Jerusalem. Though technically tied to Adam, the proposed project lies physically closer to Jerusalem’s Neve Yaakov neighborhood, creating a new territorial contiguity that strengthens Jewish presence along the capital’s northern corridor.

The project, to be built on roughly 500 dunams between Hizma and Al-Ram, includes major infrastructure investment and has already seen the marketing of hundreds of housing units in its first phase. Critics have labeled the move a “backdoor annexation,” warning of political and security consequences. Supporters, however, describe it as the natural continuation of Jewish life in and around Jerusalem—strengthening settlement continuity and responding to housing demand near the capital. While the so-called Green Line has often been treated as a political boundary, it was never a permanent border but an armistice line drawn in 1949. The facts on the ground are shifting once again.

SOURCE: Israel365News