“In the Settlement City of Ma’aleh Adumim” Tender for the construction of the First Hotel in the Settlement

What is so-called “Israel Land Authority “ published a tender holding Number  8/2015 / יש for the construction of a Hotel in the illegal settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim east of the city of Jerusalem.

It is worth pointed that the aforementioned tenders issued by the “ILA” incorporation with what is known as “ Ma’ale Adumim Economic Development Company Ltd”.

According to the revealed tender , a 6 storey hotel to be constructed in the center of  the settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim and adjacent to the “Ma’ale Adumim “Kenyon”. Moreover, the hotel planned to be built on an area of 2.3 dunums (2300 m2 ) with a total area of 3000 m2.The final timeline for submitting the tenders would be May 9, 2016.

It is worth mention that the tender  8/2015 / יש came within the Plan Number 420/1/11 – Ma’aleh Adumim.

Maps and development plan for the Hotel published with the Tender

Ma’ale Adumim Economic Development Company Ltd..

The Ma’ale Adumim Economic Development Company Ltd., which is controlled by the what is so-called Ma’ale Adumim Settlement Municipality, is the economic arm of the Municipality. It began operating in 1993, and renewed its intensive activity in 1998, following the decision to privatize the industrial area.

The Company, in cooperation with the settlement Municipality, manages and develops a number of projects within the Municipality’s jurisdiction, and has been authorized by the Municipality to implement on its behalf business plans and conduct all types of economic activity in the settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim.

Below is part of the colonial Scope of work and activities managed by the company:-

• Manage and develops “Adumim Industrial Park”.
• Initiating a rezoning of lots from industrial to commercial use, and promoting the process of issuing tenders for commercial lots of various sizes. Tenders can be found at the ILA web site.
• Abu Dis Landfill : The company has been managing the Abu Dis landfill, near the neighborhood of Abu Dis, since 1998. The site receives waste from Jerusalem and surrounding localities. The 430-dunam site receives about 1,000 tons of waste every day, from Jerusalem, Ma’ale Adumim and surrounding localities.
• the Company is working on constructing an industrial building with space for rent, with a built-up area of around 2,500 m2.

·        Jewish National Fund Park (The Lake) 

The JNF Park, located on the northwest corner of Ma’ale Adumim settlement, has opened a branch of the dairy restaurant Cafe operated by Ezra Cohen.  The Company is currently working on operating the lake.

The park has about 100 parking spaces, is handicapped-accessible, and has spacious lawns).  The park was established for the enjoyment and benefit of Ma’ale Adumim settlers and visitors

• The Company, in collaboration with the Ma’ale Adumim Municipality and the Religious Council, is planning to establish a cemetery that will serve Ma’ale Adumim and its environs.  The plans have already been validated.
• The Company has begun promoting and designing a landfill site for handling waste, and operating a waste recycling facility, which will provide solutions for Jerusalem and surrounding settlements. The project is slated to be set up within the area of the” Good Samaritan site”.

It is worth mentioning that the settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim slated for enormous expansion in future , mainly eastward and via Dead Sea . For more information refer to the previously written case study :  Another tool to annex more Palestinian Lands” Military Extending Order to confine +400,000 dunums as “Closed Military Area”

Legal & International Status

Israel is moving steadily toward fortifying its colonial and expansionist enterprise in all parts the oPt. The construction and expansion of the Israeli settlement in all parts of the occupied Palestinian territory including East Jerusalem are illegal and constitute a grave breach of the International law rules and conventions:-

 The existence of the Israeli settlements and outposts in the West Bank and their expansions are Illegal and contradicts with the international law rules, United Nations Security Council Resolutions such as 237 (1967), 271 (1969), 446 (1979), 452 (1979) ,465 (1980).

Resolution 446 March 22, 1979 calls on Israel to rescind its previous measures and to desist from taking any action which would result in changing the legal status and geographical nature and materially affecting the demographic composition of the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem and, in particular, not to transfer parts of its own civilian population into the occupied Arab territories"

Also the resolution 452 of the 1979 “calls upon the Government and people of Israel to cease, on an urgent basis, the establishment, construction and planning of settlements in the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem.”

Furthermore the Fourth Geneva Convention also states in Article 49 that “The occupying power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own population into the territories it occupies.” and Article 174 of the same convention “prohibits the 'extensive destruction and appropriation of property not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly.”

In May 2001, the head of the International Red Cross delegation to Israel and the Occupied Territories said that settlements are "equal in principle to war crimes". (Note: "The transfer, the installation of population of the occupying power into the occupied territories is considered as an illegal move and qualified as a 'grave breach.' It's a grave breach, formally speaking, but grave breaches are equal in principle to war crimes", Rene Kosirnik, head of the ICRC delegation to Israel and the OPT, press conference 17 May 2001).

Article XXXI of the 1995 Oslo agreement Israelis forbidden from building or planning to any project or settlements or any colonial expansion or any plan that lead to change the status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The article provides “Neither side shall initiate or take any step that will change the status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip pending the outcome of the permanent status negotiations”.

Prepared by:  
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem