Ramallah:A Palestinian commission has raised alarms over Israel's plan to reopen Route 463 for use by occupiers, a move that could lead to the isolation of eight villages and two major residential neighborhoods in northern Ramallah and Al-Bireh from southern areas.

According to Anadolu Agency, the commission has stated that the road, which runs through the urban areas of Ramallah and Al-Bireh in the central occupied West Bank, would divide the northern and southern parts of these areas. This reopening could force tens of thousands of Palestinians to rely on an old alternative road near the Jalazone refugee camp, which is already heavily congested and not equipped to handle additional traffic.

The commission does not consider the reopening of Route 463 as an isolated incident but part of a broader strategy to fragment Palestinian geographic and demographic continuity in Ramallah and Al-Bireh. This area is home to about 400,000 Palestinians across approximately 80 communities and is already facing fragmentation due to Area C, illegal settlements, bypass roads, military checkpoints, and gates.

Under the 1995 Oslo II Accord, the West Bank was divided into Areas A, B, and C, with Area C under full Israeli control. The commission warned that reopening Route 463 could lead to a de facto annexation and further severing of Area C from Palestinian geographic connections.

Route 463, constructed in 1994, was intended to connect the illegal settlements of Beit El and Dolev. Following the Second Intifada in 2000, the Israeli army restricted access to parts of the road for both occupiers and Palestinians citing security reasons. However, recent months have seen increased pressure from occupiers to reopen the road fully, including protests and events near Palestinian areas under Israeli protection.

Incidents have been reported, such as occupiers blocking a roundabout near the Ein Ayoub area and throwing stones at Palestinian vehicles, marking an escalation in attacks on Palestinians and their vehicles on roads across the governorate. The closure of military checkpoints and major roads has increasingly forced Palestinians to depend on secondary and alternative routes for travel between communities.