Settler Group Plans 122-Unit Settlement in East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah

The settlement watchdog group Ir Amim has revealed a new plan by the Amana movement to establish a 122-unit settlement in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem. This marks Amana's first settlement initiative in Jerusalem after decades of activity in the West Bank. The plan, designated number 1602689, targets the historic Shepherd Hotel site, spanning approximately 5.8 dunams. It proposes constructing residential buildings up to 12 stories high, containing 122 settlement units. The plan is still in its early stages and has not yet been presented to the Israeli planning and building committee in Jerusalem. A hearing is scheduled for November 11, 2026.

Amana is described as one of the most powerful Israeli settlement organizations, receiving government funding and close cooperation from Israeli authorities. Its head, Ze'ev Hever, also known as 'Zambish,' is a former member of a clandestine Jewish terrorist organization. Amana is a major funder and planner of Israeli outposts in the West Bank, which have led to the displacement of Palestinian farmers and communities.

According to Ir Amim, the Shepherd Hotel site originally belonged to the Palestinian al-Husseini family before being confiscated by Israeli authorities and transferred to the right-wing Ataret Cohanim settlement organization. Ataret Cohanim had previously built an adjacent residential complex that remains vacant.

The new plan involves demolishing existing structures to make way for the larger settlement, while preserving the historic Shepherd Hotel building. Recent years have seen efforts to regulate land ownership at the site, with parts registered under the 'Absentee Property Custodian' and others under a foreign company linked to Ataret Cohanim. It remains unclear how Amana assumed responsibility for the project's development from Ataret Cohanim.

Aviv Tatersky, a researcher at Ir Amim, stated that Amana's plan joins a series of projects promoted by Israeli government bodies, including the Ministry of Construction and Housing and the Jerusalem Development Authority, aimed at building thousands of housing units for Israeli settlers instead of addressing the needs of Palestinian residents in Sheikh Jarrah. Tatersky added that these plans emerge after local residents successfully defended their homes against forced eviction attempts, highlighting a systematic Israeli effort to transform Sheikh Jarrah from a Palestinian neighborhood into an Israeli settlement.