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Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Territories

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Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Territories REPORT ON ISRAELI SETTLEMENT IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES A Bimonthly Publication of the Foundation for Middle East Peace Volume 22 Number 5 September-October 2012 THE NEXT PRESIDENT AND THE ILLUSION OF DELUXE OCCUPATION By Geoffrey Aronson amount to hundreds of billions of shek- Today, policymakers and the els if they were to be applied to the West As the end of the first term of the ad- public alike have surrendered Bank, you could say that the mission has ministration of President Barack Obama in the face of dysfunctional been accomplished.” approaches, expectations of a successful domestic politics and the pas- This breakdown in Washington’s American effort to end Israel’s occupa- diplomatic effort is unprecedented. Jef- sions that drive the conflict. tion of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, frey Feltman, a former assistant secretary and the Gaza Strip that greeted the They are bored with its grind- of state for Near Eastern affairs, and president in January 2009 have evapo- ing hopelessness, distracted by currently UN undersecretary for political rated. This is the dismal legacy that the more hopeful and dra- affairs, acknowledged the diplomatic the next American administration will matic narratives of the Arab retreat of the international community confront. Spring, strangely complacent at an August 22 briefing before the The president’s selection soon after about the strategic costs to be Security Council, noting that “in the his election in 2008 of former senator paid by all for failure to end short term the international community George Mitchell as special envoy and the occupation and settle- may not be in a position to succeed in the articulate and forceful focus on the ment, and all but resigned to helping the parties bridge their political need for a “freeze” in Israeli settlement the victory of the settlers. differences.” activity in the West Bank and East U.S. interest in and leadership of the Jerusalem were widely viewed as clear effort to end the conflict has atrophied indications of Obama’s commitment to to a point not seen since the abortive lead the parties to an agreement that Rogers Plan in 1970, which created a reflected the vital national security inter- Clinton set the aggressive tone for this policy vacuum that would lead to the ests of the parties as well as the United initiative in May 2009, when she said, October 1973 war. Today, policymakers States—the creation of two states, Israel “[President Obama] wants to see a stop and the public alike have surrendered and Palestine, at peace with each other to settlements—not some settlements, in the face of dysfunctional domestic and secure within recognized borders. not outposts, not ‘natural growth’ excep- politics and the passions that drive the Secretary of State Hillary Rodham tions. That is our position. That is what conflict. They are bored with its grind- we have communicated very clearly.” ing hopelessness, distracted by the more Notwithstanding American objec- hopeful and dramatic narratives of the IN THIS ISSUE tions, settlements today are flourishing. Arab Spring, strangely complacent about Settlement Increase Charts 2 Senior Israeli columnist Nahum Barnea the strategic costs to be paid by all for Settlement Budget Update 3 commented recently that, failure to end the occupation and settle- Time Line March-June 2012 4 “[Israel’s] goal was to prevent the ment, and all but resigned to the victory Abu Mazen at the UN 5 establishment of an Arab state between of the settlers. UN Report on Settlement Expansion 7 the Jordan River and the Mediterranean If Barnea’s observation is tinged with Morsi UN Speech Highlights Sea. Today, with 300,000 settlers living regret, National Union chairman and Palestine 7 in Judea and Samaria, with a powerful MK Ya’akov Katz is representative of EU on Settlement Boycott 8 lobby and compensation arrangements from Gush Katif [Gaza] that would OCCUPATION, continued on page 6 TO OUR READERS FOUNDATION FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE Palestinian President Abbas has in- uneven playing field, and Israel’s aggressive formed the UN Secretary General that - and unilateral - push to complete its oc- Merle Thorpe, Jr. Palestine will pursue its bid for full UN cupation and settlement project to preclude Founder membership through the Security Coun- a real Palestinian state, is widely shared. (1917–1994) cil, which was previously blocked by U.S. The U.S. claim that the Palestinians can pressure. He said the Palestinian Author- only seek Israel’s agreement to statehood Philip C. Wilcox, Jr. ity would first seek support later this through talks, while Israel rushes to prevent President year for “non-member state” status in the this with new facts on the ground, lacks General Assembly where the U.S. has no credibility. Absent a new U.S.-led interna- Geoffrey Aronson veto. Again the Obama administration is tional diplomatic approach to rescue a two Director, Research and adamantly opposed, claiming such “unilat- state peace, hopes for this outcome, already Publica tions, Editor, Report on eral” action undermines negotiations which vanishing among Israelis, Palestinians, and Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Territories are the only legitimate route to Palestinian many serious analysts, will disappear. statehood. Washington has circulated a The Palestinian UN initiative could be Nitzan Goldberger tough paper calling the Palestinian move turned to everyone’s advantage. UN sanc- Christopher Gooch “extremely counterproductive,” and threat- tion for a two-state peace called for in the Editorial Assistants ening financial sanctions against the PA. Palestinian bid would elevate and further Philip Sweigart Washington’s policy reflects pre-election legitimize this goal at a time it is in danger Intern year politics and Israel’s historic opposi- of dying. It would reinforce Palestinian tion to the UN. The Palestinians know that bona fides, and, in the best case, accompany IN MEMORIAM elevating their UN status would not, alone, a strong new U.S.- led peace initiative. The Stephen Hartwell end Israel’s occupation. They have acknowl- next American president should reconsider (1915–2011) edged that peace ultimately requires nego- US policy and engage with the Palestinians DIRECTORS tiations, which Abbas says he will resume if on a constructive UN resolution that could Landrum R. Bolling Israel freezes settlements. help revive the prospect for a two state Abbas is playing the UN card in the ab- peace that desperately needs new support. Calvin H. Cobb, Jr. sence of other options. The Palestinian view Arthur H. Hughes that talks alone will continue to fail, given Richard S.T. Marsh the huge disparity in negotiating power, Richard W. Murphy the US move to the sidelines of an already Jean C. Newsom Gail Pressberg —————— u —————— William B. Quandt Nicholas A. Veliotes SETTLEMENTS EAST OF THE BARRIER INCREASE FASTER Philip C. Wilcox, Jr. THAN SETTLEMENTS WEST OF THE BARRIER The Foundation for Middle Fastest Growing West Bank Settlements, in Relation to Separation Barrier East Peace has prepared a presentation of maps illustrat- ing the evolution of the conflict from the UN Partition Plan in 1947, and depicting the growth of Israel’s occupation and settlement project from the 1967 War to the present. To download the presentation visit: http://www.fmep.org/resources/ publications-1/map-progres- sion-1948-1967. Copyright © 2012 2 v Report on Israeli Settlement September-October 2012 SETTLEMENT BUDGETS ON THE RISE During the Oslo era, successive Israeli governments have From 2003 through 2011, Israeli governments invested invested almost $7 billion to encourage and expand settlement more than $2.5 billion in the settlements. All expenditures, in the West Bank and, until 2005, in the Gaza Strip. excluding defense and security costs, are included in this figure After the signing of the Oslo accords in 1993, the gov- and cover services to which all citizens are entitled, includ- ernment of Yitzhak Rabin inaugurated huge infrastructure ing transfers from the central government in support of the projects favoring settlement in the West Bank, most notably settlements’ local authorities, investment in infrastructure and the new system of bypass roads linking settlements to Israel. public facilities, and tax benefits, grants, and subsidies, includ- In 1993, governmental investment in the territories peaked at ing mortgage subsidies that represent losses in state revenue. more than $627 million, $605 million of which was earmarked Together these allocations can be said to illustrate the state’s for construction, housing, and development. From 1994 extraordinary investment in the settlement enterprise. to 1997, investment averaged $376 million annually, while The Calcalist reported on August 2 that the share of in 2003, it reached about $527 million. According to data overall government investment in settlements allocated for compiled by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, from 1992 to the Ministry of Construction and Housing has been reduced 2011 the Israeli government invested more than $6.77 billion over the years. The reductions, however, have been offset by (in 2011 dollars) in the territories. (Official figures reported increases in other settlement-related spheres. Until 2008, the by the various government agencies are not always internally three governmental bodies that accounted for 70 to 80 percent consistent.) of governmental investment in the territories were the Interior The completion of large-scale infrastructure projects, a na- Ministry (grants to local settlement
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