Yesterday, the Hebrew newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, exposed a contentious settler plan aimed at asserting control over the Jordan Valley region. This development has drawn attention and sparked debates due to its potential impact on the establishment of a Palestinian state.

According to the newspaper's report, the plan outlines the construction of hotels north of the Dead Sea and the establishment of a tourist city, with the primary objective of preventing the formation of a Palestinian state. The settlers' move to apply sovereignty in the Jordan Valley follows the recent decision by the occupation government to legalize the "Chumash" and "Avitar" settlement outposts in the west and south of the city of Nablus, accompanied by changes to the enforcement policy towards outposts.

Key elements of the plan include the immediate expansion of several roads in the area, most notably Road No. 5 connecting the settlements of "Ariel" south of Nablus and "Eli" north of Ramallah. Moreover, it proposes the construction of intersections at strategic points where Roads 60 and 90 intersect.

One of the most significant proposals in the plan is the establishment of a new international airport in the region, exclusively under Israeli control. This airport is intended to serve as an alternative to the closed Qalandia Airport in Jerusalem and the Ramon Airport. Additionally, the plan envisions the creation of a hotel complex in the northern part of the Dead Sea, as well as another tourist city near the Jordanian border.

Kobi Eliraz, an advisor on settlement affairs to four defense ministers, and attorney Eran Ben-Ari, an expert in lands and law in the West Bank, supervised the preparation of the plan, according to the newspaper.

In order to carry out the proposed development and pave the way for progress in the region, the authors of the plan assert that Israeli sovereignty must first be applied to the Jordan Valley. However, the suggested sovereignty area will exclude the city of Jericho and the Palestinian villages of Al-Auja and Tubas. The residents of these Palestinian villages will instead be granted residency rights, mirroring the current situation in East Jerusalem.

Official Palestinian statistics reveal that the Jordan Valley covers approximately 720,000 dunums, constituting 30% of the West Bank's total area. Currently, about 50,000 Palestinians reside in the region, including the city of Jericho, comprising 2% of the total Palestinian population in the West Bank.