West Bank shops razed to clear land for settlements-linked road

Israeli bulldozers demolished about 50 Palestinian shops in al-Eizariya on the West Bank edge to clear land for a settlement-linked road, part of the broader E1 plan. Israel says the road will serve Palestinian communities and ease congestion, while Palestinians and rights groups say it will divert Palestinian traffic from a major Israeli highway and isolate Palestinian towns, undermining any potential contiguous Palestinian state; demolition notices had been issued days earlier and appeals to Israel’s Supreme Court were filed before the demolitions proceeded.