A creeping Israeli presence is nothing new for the Bedouins who inhabit the arid hills east of Jerusalem, but a recently approved road in the area means the spectre of annexation now looms large.

Israeli authorities in March green lit the construction of a separate route for Palestinian vehicles to bypass a central stretch of the occupied West Bank –- one of the territory's most disputed parcels of land.

Israel has promoted the project as a way to further facilitate settlement expansion in the area near Jerusalem, which it considers its "eternal and indivisible" capital.

But Palestinians warn the move threatens to further isolate their communities and undermines hopes for a contiguous future state with east Jerusalem as its capital.

"If they open a road there, that's it, this area will be annexed," said Eid Jahaleen, who lives in the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar.

The village, a cluster of shacks and tents some 10 kilometres (6 miles) from Jerusalem's Old City, sits surrounded by Israeli settlements.

"It's going to be hard to reach out to the outside world. No........

© Al Monitor