A controversial stretch of highway in the West Bank which separates Israeli and Palestinian drivers — dubbed the “Apartheid Road” by opponents — has opened.

The road, known officially as Route 4370, is two parallel roads separated by an eight-metre high concrete wall.

It will connect Palestinian traffic from north of Jerusalem towards east and south, without requiring drivers to pass through checkpoints around Jerusalem.

The west half of the road serves Palestinians who cannot enter Jerusalem, while the eastern side is reserved for settlers, who now have greater direct access to Mount Scopus from the Geva Binyamin settlement, Haaretz reported.

Yisrael Katz, the Israeli transport minister, praised the project after years of delays, saying it was “an important step in connecting the residents of Binyamin Region to Jerusalem, and in strengthening Jerusalem."

But the road attracted strong opposition from Palestinian officials.

The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) said it “affirms Israel’s wilful intent to entrench its racist colonial regime and super-impose ‘Greater Israel’ on all of historic Palestine”.