What is the history of the bypass roads?
Israeli first began building roads in the West Bank around the same time as the first settlements were established: “In many instances, the location of the settlements required new routes over difficult topographic terrain. Frequently, these roads served a small number of settlers, no more than a few dozen. The Israeli policy led, among other things, to extensive damage to the landscape of the West Bank. The construction far exceeded the changes needed to meet the transportation needs resulting from the increase in population and economy of the area.” (B’tselem, Forbidden Roads, p. 6) Road construction in the West Bank accelerated in tandem with progress in the peace process: “Beginning in 1993, with the signing of the Declaration of Principles between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (Oslo I), and in the framework of the redeployment of IDF forces in the West Bank, the bypass road system gained momentum. In 1995, new road construction reached a peak. Israel began the c
