Israel opens highway separating Palestinians, settlers

JERUSALEM (AA) – The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has condemned a decision by the Israeli authorities to open a road that separates Palestinian communities from a Jewish-only settlement northeast of Jerusalem. <br> </p> <p>“The opening of this road comes within the framework of Israel’s ongoing efforts to undermine any chance of reaching a political solution,” the ministry said in a Thursday statement. <br> </p> <p>It added: &quot;Israel continues to impose an apartheid regime in occupied Palestine.” <br> </p> <p>According to Israeli daily Haaretz, the Israeli authorities recently reopened the controversial highway in a formal inauguration ceremony. </p> <p>Dubbed &quot;Apartheid Road&quot;, Route 4370 links the Jewish-only Geva Binyamin Settlement to the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway. <br> </p> <p>“The road is divided in the middle by a high wall,” Haaretz explained. “The western side serves Palestinians who cannot enter Jerusalem, while the eastern side is reserved for Israeli settlers.” <br> </p> <p>The opening ceremony was reportedly attended by Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon, Transport Minister Yisrael Katz and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan. <br> </p> <p>Katz later described the move as “an important step towards linking Binyamin Council residents [i.e., settlers] to Jerusalem”. <br> </p> <p>According to Haaretz, the road was built over a decade ago. It had remained closed, however, due to a long-running dispute between the Israeli army and police over who should man checkpoints along the highway.