15. Freeze the Status of E1, Givat HaMatos, Givat HaShaked, and Other Sensitive Areas in and Around Jerusalem

Some areas of the West Bank are particularly sensitive ones because of their importance in preserving the territorial contiguity of a future Palestinian state. E1, for instance, sits outside of Ma’ale Adumim, and building there would separate the northern West Bank (Samaria) from the southern West Bank (Judea), turning what is now a 45 minute journey between Ramallah and Bethlehem into a 2 hour one, and rendering a future Palestine dependent on a patchwork of tunnels and bypass roads. Construction in other areas in East Jerusalem, such as Givat HaMatos and Givat HaShaked, would cut off Bethlehem from Jerusalem and isolate Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem.

Israel should maintain the current status of places like E1 and Givat Hamatos, and the U.S. should maintain its long-standing policy that any new Israeli construction in these areas is a redline that cannot be violated without consequences.