A change to the route of Israel’s security fence will leave nearly 1,000 more acres on the Palestinian side.
The route in an area near Jerusalem will be moved to the west, the state prosecutor told Israel’s Supreme Court on Thursday.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak made the decision after residents of nearby Arab villages filed two petitions with the high court claiming the proposed route would prevent free movement and rob them of their land.
The location near the growing West Bank city of Ma’aleh Adumim, in an area known as E1, has been controversial. American officials and the Palestinian Authority have criticized the E1 project linking the settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim, which has a population of about 32,000, and Jerusalem as an Israeli land grab.
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