On the eve of President Biden's visit to Israel, the Minister of Defense issued a series of gestures to the Palestinians he intends to promote.
One of them is the promotion of six Palestinian master plans in Area C: three in Gush Etzion (Batir, Harmela and Chisan), one in Binyamin (Hizma), one in Samaria (Hares) and one in Mount Hebron (Pakiks).
The plans include the bleaching of more than 1,000 illegal structures and the expansion of village areas by hundreds of dunams.
This is de facto assistance in advancing the Palestinians' strategic plan over the past decade: taking over strategic territories in Judea and Samaria - which for Israel are of security, settlement, environmental and national importance - and establishing a Palestinian state, another dunam and more.
The original plans submitted by the Palestinians to the Civil Administration could have dramatic consequences, such as the separation of Gush Etzion from Jerusalem.
Thanks to heavy pressure from the settlement leaders, they have been significantly reduced, but it is still a catastrophic move.
Also, keep in mind that for the Palestinians this is only a first step, and they continue to strive for the realization of their original plans.
With the exception of Hizma, all the plans approved involve the bleaching of construction on major arteries, which endangers the lives of Israelis traveling in them.
In Batir, the plan sits on the road that connects Beitar and Tzur Hadassah to Jerusalem to the south, on the main road in the eastern part of the bloc, and on Haras on the Trans-Samaria road.
In Hares, Pakiks and Kisan, these are access roads to localities, and the approval of the plans may be revoked from the center of life.
From all the villages that are intended for expansion and whitewashing of construction, stones and Molotov cocktails are regularly thrown at Israeli passengers on the roads, and in all the hotspots there were casualties, both property and lives.
Last January, more than 40 stone-throwing attacks were reported in the village of Hizma alone.
Hares, Hizma and Harmela are known as villages from which terrorists came out: from Hramla came the terrorist who infiltrated Tekoa about two months ago, as well as the head of the cell that planned to fire an anti-tank missile at Avigdor Lieberman as defense minister; Last April they fled to the village of Hares.
Some of the programs are close to the localities, and apart from the security risk, they suffocate the locality and impair its ability to develop.
Hermela sits on the planned road from Givat Eitam in Efrat to the east of the bloc.
Approval of the plan will block the transition and prevent the development of this strategic area.
Some of the programs even kiss nature reserves and threaten to damage heritage sites.
The approval of the Palestinian master plans creates a territorial continuum, and in effect transfers Israeli-controlled territories to the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority.
In 2017, when Lieberman, as defense minister, sought to allow Palestinian construction in Area C adjacent to Qalqilya, then-spokesman Avichai Mandblit argued that "issues of crucial importance should be brought up for discussion in the government." The Spokesman, before being promoted.
Dr. Anat Roth is the CEO of the Sheila Forum - a research and settlement policy institute
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