Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem June 15, 2015
Inflating Israeli Settlements Enterprise In Pose of the Peace Process
Overview:
This report overviews Israeli occupation activities in the West Bank between June 18th 2014 and April 31st 2015 and highlights recent examples indicative of these practices. By documenting on-going Israeli policies to fragment and enclave Palestinian land, expand illegal settlements, and encumber Palestinian movement and access within the West Bank, this documentation presents Israeli actions in contrast to declarations of negotiation and serious intent issued by Israeli leaders to come to a lasting agreement. In exposing this inconsistency, the compiler hopes to demonstrate that Israeli diplomatic intent is artificial and antithetical to the activities on the ground.
During the designated time of the report (June 2014 and April 2015), the Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ) documented 678 instances of Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians, their sites, and property. 9,782 trees uprooted, 255 Israeli military orders were issued, along with 49 tenders to build in 16 Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). These tenders included the building of 6,455 housing units. For a full exhaustive report on these numbers and cases, refer to “On Israeli Violations in the oPt”1 This material was originally prepared for ARIJ’s presentation to the European Union delegation on June 2nd 2015.
1 http://www.poica.org/details.php?Article=7959 (Accessed June 15, 2015)
Inflating Israeli Settlement Enterprise In Pose of Peace Process
Contents:
Settlers’ Violations 3 Land Violations 5 The Segregation Wall 12 The Jordan Valley 14 The Strategy of Settlement Expansion 16 Israeli Outposts in the oPt 19 The Bedouins Affair 21 The De-Palestinization of Jerusalem 24 Land Confiscation Strategies in the oPt 25 Diplomatic Commitments 29
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Inflating Israeli Settlement Enterprise In Pose of Peace Process
Settlers’ Violations
Between June 2014 and April 2015, the total number of documented attacks on Palestinians carried out by Israeli settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories was 678. This violence mainly consisted of attacks against religious and historical sites (207) attacks on trees (197), and attacks against other forms of property and land (143).
In addition, 190 attacks on the al Aqsa mosque counted for 92% of the attacks on religious and historical sites and 28% of the total acts of violence committed by the settlers in the same period.
Aside from the direct attacks on civilians and historical sites, a significant portion of settler violence can be ascribed to vandalism against the Palestinian population as a form of collective retribution, symptomatic of a growing “price tag” trend. Other instances appear as tactics to terrorize the local owners, facilitating a Palestinian evacuation of property around the settlement and the eventual annexation of the land to the settlers.
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Inflating Israeli Settlement Enterprise In Pose of Peace Process
An Nabi Samuel
On February 11th 2015 a group of Israeli settlers living Har Shmuel settlement northwest of Jerusalem city attacked the property of Eid Barakat, a citizen of the An Nabi Samuel village northwest of Jerusalem city and removed steel fence posts and barbed wire fences surrounding his 14.5 dunams of land.
During the past three years, the Barakat family has witnessed several attacks carried out by settlers of Har Shmuel settlement, destroying the property’s irrigation infrastructure, a well, and tree seedlings.
Adei Ad
On January 1st 2015 Israeli settlers from the Adei Ad outpost uprooted and destroyed 5,000 olive tree saplings in Turmus Ayya village of the Ramallah Governorate.
Near the settlements in the area of Shilo, Israeli outposts like Adei Ad populate a corridor (seen in orange), surrounding Turms Ayya linking the eastern settlements of the Jordan with the western part.
These Israeli corridors fragment Palestinian territory, creating enclaves and pockets of Palestinian buildup. By this mechanism of “de-Palestinization,” settlers finalize their control over Palestinian territory.
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Inflating Israeli Settlement Enterprise In Pose of Peace Process
Land Violations
Uprooting Trees:
This instance in Adei Ad embodies a trend among settlers and the Israeli Civil Administration to destroy the production capacity of Palestinian land and humiliate the owners. In degrading the land, perpetrators participate in a tradition of resource exploitation and deforestation.
Between June 2014 and April 2015, about 10,000 trees were uprooted in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Uprooted Trees per Governorate June 2014 - April 2015
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Land Confiscation and Military Orders:
Military orders are Israel’s main governing instrument of “Judea and Samaria.” They demonstrate that Israel perceives its governance of Palestinian territory administratively as an occupation and under the rule of military law. Between June 2014 and April 2015, out of the 255 military orders documented, 164 of these were issued to halt construction and development of land.
Building permits for Palestinians are virtually impossible to acquire, and the Israeli court system seldom rules in favor of Palestinian appeals. Pretexts for confiscation and demolition include the building of bypass roads and barriers, military and security zones, or simply the designation of land as state property.
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Inflating Israeli Settlement Enterprise In Pose of Peace Process
Beituniya Municipality
On December 10th 2014 the Palestinian residents of Ein Arik, Beit Ur at Tahta, and Beituniya villages in the Ramallah government were handed a military order2 extending the confiscation of 321 dunams of land for security purposes.
The bypass road no. 443 that links Jerusalem and local villages with Israel proper was closed off to Palestinians through the early and mid 2000’s and several checkpoints and routes were imposed, choking traffic and transforming 10 minute trips into hours. A 2009 Israeli Supreme Court injunction3 ordered that IDF must allow the road to be used by both groups. However this recent military order reveals the IDF intends to create an alternative route, part of the army’s territorial contiguity plan for the West Bank, the “fabric of life,” segregating Israeli and Palestinian transportation systems and connecting Israeli settlements.
Whether considered apartheid or not, this case in Beituniya demonstrates unilateral Israeli decisions in disregard of the spirit of its own court statutes without the consultation or interest of the PA. The inferior road will largely replace Palestinians’ use of Israeli bypass road No. 443, thus maintaining a de facto control of the bypass road for settlers and the army.
2 ARIJ, Military order T/88/06 (amendment No. 2) http://orders.arij.org/searchMONoResult.php?MONo=2636 (accessed June 15, 2015).
3 Abu Safiya v. Minister of Defense http://elyon1.court.gov.il/files_eng/07/500/021/m19/07021500.m19.pdf (accessed June 23, 2015).
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Ma’ale Adumim
On January 18th 2015, the Israeli Occupation Authorities issued military order4 No. S/1/99 (Amendment border No. 6) (5885-2015) (Firing Zone No. 912)”, extending the expropriation of 410,672 dunams of “Closed Military Zone.” The amendment extended the previous annexation to include the confiscation of 212 dunams of land near the Ma’ale Adumim settlement in east Jerusalem, eventually to be annexed to the settlement itself.
The confiscation confirms a trend noted by B’Teselem, an Israeli human rights group, that settlements are “built on area that was declared state land or on land that was requisitioned - ostensibly temporarily - for military purposes. It appears that in Ma'ale Adumim, the government decided to permanently expropriate the land because it viewed the area as an integral part of Jerusalem that would forever remain under Israeli control.5
In addition, the closed military area and recent annexation further constricts Palestinian access to the Dead Sea region and the nature reserve, as the land remains part of Area C—under complete Israeli civil and military control.
4 ARIJ, Military Order Database: S/1/99 (Amendment Border No. 6) http://orders.arij.org/searchMONoResult.php (accessed June 15, 2015).
5 B’Teselem, The Hidden Agenda: The Establishment and Expansion Plans of Ma'ale Adummim and their Human Rights Ramifications, 2009 http://www.btselem.org/publications/summaries/200912_maale_adummim (accessed June 17th, 2015)
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Inflating Israeli Settlement Enterprise In Pose of Peace Process
Beit Iksa
On November 8th 2014, the Israeli Civil Administration handed Palestinians in Beit Iksa village in the Ramallah Governorate a new military order6 titled 212/05/T (extension No. 3 & border amendment 3) extending the confiscation of 32 dunams to construct a barrier along the only road leading to the Beit Iksa village and to expand the checkpoint.
The barrier currently encircles the village of Beit Iksa from the west, north and south, separating it from its open spaces and agricultural lands in the east and annexing them to the Giv'at Ze'ev and Ramot settlement blocs.
As a result, Beit Iksa becomes an enclave with an Israeli checkpoint separating access with other Palestinian villages of Beit Surik, Biddu, and Beit Ijza. This decision goes against a past court injunction ruling in favor of Beit Iksa on the construction of the Jeruslaem-Tel Aviv highway, so it again appears there are competing authorities, the Supreme Court and Civil Administration. In any case, the Palestinian residents of Beit Iksa are subjected to confinement and isolation.
Buffer Zones in Northern Governorates
On September 5th 2014, a military order7 titled “Order Regarding Security Directives: Judea and Samaria (No. 1651), 2009 ” was amended (M.O. 04/08/AB Extension No. 3, Amendment No. 2)-2014, to place a buffer zone on both sides of the Separation Barrier in the Jenin and Tulkarem Governorates, affecting the following cities: Um Dar, Nazlet Zeit, Zabda, Al Khuljan, Zeita, Tulkarem, Baqa Ash Sharqiya, and Qafin.
This buffer zone will close off approximately 6% of the West Bank and is scheduled to take effect between January 1 2015 and December 31 2017.
6 ARIJ, Military Order Database: 212/5/T (Extension No. 3 & Border Amendment No. 2) http://orders.arij.org/searchMONoResult.php?MONo=2832 (accessed June 15, 2015).
7 ARIJ, Military Order Database: No. 1651 (Extension 3, Border Amendment No. 2) http://orders.arij.org/searchMONoResult.php?MONo=2618 (accessed June 15, 2015).
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Inflating Israeli Settlement Enterprise In Pose of Peace Process
Samiramis in East Jerusalem
On May 11th 2015, an Israeli court ordered the demolition of 8 Palestinian buildings in Samiramis neighborhood of East Jerusalem by August 1, 2015 after it ruled the properties have been owned by Jewish-Israelis since 1971. It further imposed a fine of 49,000 shekels ($12,600) on the owners. The buildings consist of 23 apartments housing 107 people.
Rammun and Dir Dibwan
On May 24th 2015, the Israeli Civil Administration confiscated some 829 dunams (202 acres) of privately owned Palestinian lands from the Rammoun and Dir Dibwan villages to establish new dumping grounds for Israeli settlements.
The targeted location will serve Israeli settlements in the area, and may be used by Palestinian villages; however it will be solely operated by Israeli authorities and subject to their discretion. Around 140 families have been using the fertile land for livestock grazing, farming, and for well water. The impact of the dump will contaminate an estimated 2,000 dunams of the land and its water supply.
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Inflating Israeli Settlement Enterprise In Pose of Peace Process
Segregation Wall Maneuver
As of January 2015, the Segregation Barrier is 63% finished, with another 259 kilometers planned and 28 kilometers currently under construction. Current areas of scrutiny and construction include Battir, Cremisan, Ramallah, and Jerusalem.
Battir:
On January 4th 2015, the Israeli Supreme Court froze proceedings over the state’s plan to build the barrier through the West Bank village and property of Battir, whose ancient irrigation systems and agricultural terraces, which villagers still farm, were recognized last year by UNESCO and put among the Word Heritage Sites in Danger. In response, the
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Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon acknowledged the security barrier near the West Bank village of Battir is not a priority at present, however the IDF reserves its right to build in that area in the future, even if it has no intention at the time.
The decision represents a victory for the villagers, and establishes a precedent for Supreme Court rulings in favor of Palestinian human rights and property holdings. The petition to UNESCO certainly increased pressure on the occupational authorities and the court, but the court did not rule out the possibility of building a wall in Battir in the future.
Cremisan:
In April 2015 the Supreme Court reversed a decision to build the separation barrier through the Cremisan Valley located in the seam line between Israeli settlements of Gilo and Har Gilo. The decision ended a long legal battle between the Salesian monastery, convent, and 58 Beit Jala families whose land would have been annexed by the wall and the Defence Ministry who issued the 3,000 dunam confiscation in 2006.
The decision—celebrated by Palestinians and the Catholic church alike—demonstrates another instance in which the occupational authority’s argument to build the wall as a security measure was not adequate to justify its violation. Such examples are unfortunately few and far between. In the vast majority of cases, the subjected population has no legal recourse or the sufficient exceptionalism of being UNESCO site or having Vatican advocates in order to successfully arrange a remapping.
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Inflating Israeli Settlement Enterprise In Pose of Peace Process
Beit Hanina and Bir Nabala
On November 12th 2014 the Israeli Occupation Authorities handed Palestinians in Beit Hanina and Bir Nabala in northwest Jerusalem a military order8 titled 27/06/T (extension No. 4 & border amendment). The order states to extend the confiscation of 35.2 dunams of land for security purposes, to finalize the construction of a section of the Israeli segregation Wall in the area.
Rantis
On December 1st 2014, the Israeli Occupation Authorities handed Palestinians in Rantis village in Ramallah Governorate a new military order9 titled 71/04/T (extension No. 3 & border amendment). The order extends the confiscation of 48.9 dunams of land for security purposes, to finalize a segment of the wall northwest of Rantis village. The segment is still under construction.
8 ARIJ, Military Order Database: 27/06/T http://orders.arij.org/searchMONoResult.php?MONo=495 (Accessed June 15, 2015).
9 ARIJ, Military Order Database: T/71/04 (Amendment No. 4) http://orders.arij.org/searchMONoResult.php?MONo=2634 (accessed June 15, 2015).
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Jordan Valley
The fertile Jordan valley, a “bread basket” of the Levant, has long been a source of contention, repeatedly prone to Israeli domination and contention. In a dark tradition of forced eviction and demolition, recent instances confirm a policy of colonization:
On March 18th, 2015, the IDF demolished 18 residential and agricultural structures in Khirbet Al-Makhoul area in the northern area of the Jordan Valley.
On April 20th 2015, vast tracks of Jordan Valley along the West Bank eastern border with Jordan were handed to settlers to cultivate. The area in question is made up of about 5,000 dunams (1,250 acres) of privately owned Palestinian land registered under the Jordanian land registry during the Jordanian Administration of the West Bank territory between 1948 and 1967.
On April 30th 2015, the IDF handed out orders to evacuate 57 Palestinian families from their houses and land in the northern area of the Jordan Valley, under the claim of use for Israeli military trainings: in Al Burj and Al Mayta (27 families), Hamamat Al Maleh, Khirbet Ibziq (10 families), Humsa (10 families).
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Inflating Israeli Settlement Enterprise In Pose of Peace Process
The Strategy of Settlement Expansion
Israeli Settlement Tenders
In contrast to the unhesitating confiscation, eviction, and demolition of Palestinian homes and land, the Israeli Land Administration, settlements, and municipalities continue a policy of expansion, building, and colonization. An index of this expansion is the number of building tenders issued.
During the period of June 2014 and May 2015, Israel issued 49 tenders to build in 16 Israeli Settlements in the oPt. These tenders included the building of 6455 units, the lease of 39 plots of land, commercial and industrial areas, and offices. 48.4% of the total units number to be built in Israeli settlements in Jerusalem and 25.8% in Israeli settlements in the Bethlehem Governorate.
By this strategy, the state participates in a colonial tactic to put “realities on the ground” hostile to the establishment of a Palestinian state. These activities demonstrate to the Palestinian leadership and community that Israeli officials are artificial in their rhetoric and commitments past and present to negotiate a peace that respects the dignity of the Palestinian person and his homeland’s territorial integrity. Recent examples of this policy are unfortunately plentiful.
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Inflating Israeli Settlement Enterprise In Pose of Peace Process
Ramot
On February 7th, 2015, the District Committee for Planning and Building in the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem approved a new tender in Ramot settlement north of Jerusalem city which includes the construction of 64 new settlement units. The 64 units of Ramot settlements are part of a previously issued tender which includes the construction of 294 new settlement units in the southeastern part of the settlement, on lands of Shu’fat town in occupied East Jerusalem.
Jabal Al Mukabbir
On February 7th 2015, the Israeli Civil Administration issued tenders to build 580 hotel rooms on lands of Jabal Al Mukabbir town in occupied east Jerusalem, near Al Qasr Hill (The High Commissioner Palace—the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization HQ (UNTSO)).
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Inflating Israeli Settlement Enterprise In Pose of Peace Process
Kisan
On March 8th 2015, Israeli bulldozers razed 80 dunams of Palestinian land in Kisan village southeast of Bethlehem city. The land was targeted in 2004 with a military order expropriating it as state land. The community appealed, and the case was still pending in court. The land is part of 600 dunam plan to establish an Israeli industrial zone at the site.
Eli Settlement
On December 12th 2014, expropriated Palestinian land included in Plan No. 237 to build 640 housing units in Eli settlement on 221 dunams, declared as “state land” and included in the settlement plan. The expansion will affect the land of As-Sawaya, Lubban Ash- Sharqiya and Qaryut villages.
Beitar Illit
On June 4th 2014, the Israeli Land Administration published tender No. 170/2014 to include the construction of 218 settlement units (five complexes) in Beitar Illit settlement southwest of Bethlehem city as part of the Town Planning Scheme (TPS) No. 426/3. The tender invited interested parties to submit bids by the extended deadline of March 2015 and envisioned the construction of a new neighborhood to the northwestern side of the current standing Beitar Illit settlement under the name “Beitar Illit C” in addition to an industrial zone. These will be built on the lands of Wad Fukin village in Bethlehem Governorate.
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Inflating Israeli Settlement Enterprise In Pose of Peace Process
Gilo Settlement
On August 25th 2014, the Israeli Land Authority awarded land tenders to lease plots of land to build 10 complexes, construction of 708 housing units in Jerusalem’s Gilo settlement on west slopes as part of Town Plan 13157.
Silwan
On February 21 2015, the Municipality of Jerusalem announced plan no. 6144/A to invest NIS 4 million (USD 1 million) in the construction of a mikveh (ritual bath) in Ma’ale Hazeitim settlement in Silwan town on 9.6 dunams of land.
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Inflating Israeli Settlement Enterprise In Pose of Peace Process
In total, Israel is planning on constructing some 48,000 new housing units in Israeli West Bank settlements. 15,883 of these (33%) are planned for East Jerusalem.
Although multiple tenders are planned for the four large settlement blocs (Modi'in Illit, Ma'ale Adumim, Beitar Illit, and Ariel) that Israel contends will remain under its control in the event of any negotiated final status agreement, thousands of units are also in the works for isolated settlements beyond the West Bank separation barrier. By augmenting the size of these settlements, the Israeli government redraws the map of borders. Netanyahu’s government seems to be trying to make the 1967 armistice line irrelevant; instead, the separation wall, with its encroachment deep in West Bank territory, becomes the new border between Israel and Palestine.
Israeli Outposts in the oPt
An analysis of Israeli outpost activity reveals a systematic attempt on the part of the Israeli government to encourage their growth and development. Their distribution covers key areas throughout the West Bank: 60 outposts in the Western Segregation Zone— the area between the 1948
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Inflating Israeli Settlement Enterprise In Pose of Peace Process armistice line and Separation Wall—32 outposts in the Eastern Segregation Zone of the Jordan valley, 96 outposts in the corridors of Area C between the pockets of Palestinian buildup, and 44 other outposts scattered throughout. Total settlers in the oPt including East Jerusalem are approaching 750,000.
The Israeli Civil Administration facilitated the expansion of Givat Hatamar Outpost near Efrat Settlements on lands belonging to the Al Khader Village. The outpost is one of eight outposts adjoining the Efrat Settlement.
Mitzpe Kramim
On April 15 2015, Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered to prevent evacuating the Mitzpe Kramim outpost near Kochav Hashahar settlement in Ramallah Governorate. Mitzpe Kramim was originally set up in 1999 near Kochav Ha’shachar settlement with a population of 32 families and has 24 caravans and three structures. Since then, it has grown considerably, adding side streets and bypass roads.
Givat Eitam
In January 2015 the Israeli Ministry of Housing and Planning allocated 850,000 shekels (215,000 USD) to set up a dirt road along with basic infrastructure for a new neighborhood called Givat Eitam on the eighth hill of the Israeli settlement Efrat, which is part of Gush Etzion settlement bloc west of Bethlehem Governorate.
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Inflating Israeli Settlement Enterprise In Pose of Peace Process
Bedouin Affairs
The Bedouin population of Palestine has been one of the most vulnerable group to oppression by the Israeli authorities. Their poverty and distance from urban Palestinian society leaves them prone to discrimination without legal recourse or international scrutiny. As their lifestyle relies on the grazing of animals, Israeli restrictions on movement and land use are particularly devastating. Various pretexts for land confiscation and property destruction include archaeology and trespassing on state land.
Susiya:
For many years, the IDF prohibited Palestinians from setting up their homes in the area and has rejected any request for construction or planning permits keeping them away from the Susiya settlement and archaeological area and thus encouraging the settlers to continue seizing more agricultural land. Bedouins are then driven away to areas A and B.
The IDF has systematically forbidden water, electricity, and drainage infrastructure to be available for Palestinians in Susiya; the authorities claimed “there was no historic Palestinian village at the archaeological site here; that the village consists of only a few seasonal residences for a few families; and the land is necessary for the continuation of archaeological work.”10
On March 29th 2015, the Civil Administration asked the Israeli High Court of Justice for permission to demolish the ancient hamlet of Susiya and relocate its 340 residents to Yatta, south of Hebron, allowing for more archaeological excavation at the site. This policy contrasts the allowance of nearby Israeli settlement construction.
On May 4rth, 2015 Israel’s High Court of Justice upheld demolition orders in Khirbet Susiya to displace 340 Palestinian families.
10 Haaretz, Israel seeks to demolish Palestinian village on “archeological” grounds http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.649340 (accessed June 23, 2015)
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Further Incidents:
On September 6th 2014, the IDF and bulldozers stormed Al-Majaz and Al-Fakheit areas at the eastern part of Yatta town south of Hebron city and razed 800 dunams of agricultural land. The targeted land is owned by Abu ‘Aram family.
On February 20th 2015, Israeli settlers living in Susiya and Metzipe Ya’ir settlements uprooted more than 30 olive trees from Um-Al-Arees area near Yatta town, south of Hebron city. The targeted trees are owned by Abed Rabo family.
On February 25th 2015, the IDF handed out military orders to demolish Al-Majaz school and two residential tents in Khirbet Al-Majaz southeast of Yatta town, south of Hebron city. The targeted tents were owned by Omar and Yaser Ali Khalil Nu’man Abu’aram.
On February 25th 2015, the IDF handed out military orders to demolish all the structures in Khirbet Ghuwein Al-Fauqa area, south of As-Samu’ town, south of Hebron city.
As one can see, much of this activity is occurring south of Hebron, in a pocket of Bedouin towns declared “Firing Zone 918.”
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Targeted Bedouin Communities:
Abu Al-Nawar:
Israeli Civil Administration escorted by the Israeli Army stormed Abu Al-Nawar Bedouin community of north-east Jerusalem city, and handed about 34 families eviction orders to evacuate their houses and land within a month from the date of the orders. The Israeli Authorities claimed that the land of Abu Al-Nawar area (about 389 dunums) is classified as “state land.” Abu Nwar is one of 46 Palestinian Bedouin communities in Area C slated for transfer to three proposed relocation sites in the occupied West Bank. As they are located in urban settings, these relocation sites will make it impossible for Bedouins to practice their lifestyle. In addition, the forced transfer will allow the Israeli Land Authority and Housing Ministry to expropriate more land around the controversial E1 zone of East Jerusalem, tightening their control over the city.
Abu Al Helo:
On April 2nd 2015: the Israeli Civil Administration confiscated 11 solar panels (a state and NGO funded investment) from Abu Al Helo Bedouin community in Al-Khan Al Ahmar, East Jerusalem under the pretext that no permits were sought for the panels from the Civil Administration. Twenty-three Bedouin families consisting of 160 members were the main beneficiaries from the confiscated panels, half of them children.
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The De-Palestinization of Jerusalem
On April 15th 2015, Israeli Supreme Court ruled that the Absentee Property Law is applicable in East Jerusalem. The Absentee Property Law, (5710-1950, March 14th 1950) declared occupied land as “absentee’s property” that can be seized if the owner is absent for three continuous years. This practice was extended to the occupied territories in 1967 with miltary order no. 58. However, the court warned the law should be applied in Jerusalem rarely and with explicit approval from the Attorney General11. The practical effect of the ruling is that it allows the state of Israel to take control of property in East Jerusalem whose owners live in the West Bank or Gaza.
On February 16th 2015, the Israeli Local Planning and Building Committee at the Municipality of Jerusalem approved a plan (No. 13900) to establish a landfill in Wadi Al Rej’iyyat area on 534 dunams of Anata, Issawiyya and Shu’fat villages in East Jerusalem. The plan will be deposited for public review, which is the last step before final approval, after which, building permits and tenders may be issued at any time.
On 5 February 2015, the Israeli forces tore down Bawwabat al-Quds (the Gate to Jerusalem) protest Tent near Abu Dis town for the first time and declared the area a “closed military zone.” The “Gate to Jerusalem” was set up in the Khilet al-Rahib area east of Abu Dis in protest against Israeli settler encroachment on Palestinian Bedouin lands east of Jerusalem. Israel plans to relocate Bedouins as part of Israel’s controversial E1 settlement development plan.
11 Haaretz, Supreme Court rules: Israel can confiscate Palestinian property in Jerusalem http://www.haaretz.com/news/israel/1.652231 (accessed June 15, 2015).
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Israeli Land Confiscation Strategies in the oPt
Nearly 1 million dunams of land in the West Bank have been declared firing zones for the exclusive use of the IDF and settlers. Land confiscation in the West Bank corrodes Palestine’s territorial integrity.
Goals of Israeli Confiscation Strategies:
To consolidate the construction of the barrier To annex Palestinian land west of the separation wall to Israel, the “Seam Zone” To ensure geographical continuity between Israeli settlements in the western segregation zone To eliminate any possible future expansion of Palestinian communities in the direction of settlements in the western segregation zones To preserve settlement’s sustainability in the future Annex as much Palestinian land as possible for future Israeli settlement programs.
On February 9th 2015, the Haaretz daily newspaper reported that the Israeli Civil Administration prepared major expansions of four Israeli settlements in the West Bank on
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Inflating Israeli Settlement Enterprise In Pose of Peace Process instruction of Netanyahu’s government.12 These include Kedumim, Vered Yericho, Neveh Tzuf (Hallmish) and Immanuel. Some 3740 dunams in the areas of the settlements were marked as state lands initially and eventually approved for settler use. This announcement confirms a trend of annexing Palestinian land as public domain, off limits to private use, and then leasing the land later to settlers. Many times, building permits are issued retroactively for existing structures in the area.
On December 9th 2014, the “blue line team” of the Israeli Civil Administration began reaffirming the boundaries of the state and settlement lands. So far, 260,000 dunams have ben mapped throughout the West Bank—35,000 dunams of which are in firing zones. In Emmanuel, Hallamish, and Kedumin, these teams have expanded the property of each settlement roughly 60%, declaring the surrounding mostly Palestinian-owned land a part of the settlement. The expansion reassures its presence in the West Bank. See Emanuel below.
Aside from environmental, continuity, and population pretexts, archaeology has recently become another justification for Israel’s constraining of Palestinian communities and acquiring more land in area C. Lately, this process has been observed in Al Tawaneh, Zif village, Al Fasa’il, Beit Mirsim, and Al Burj.
12Haaretz, Israel preparing major expansions in West Bank http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.641520 (accessed June 21, 2015)
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In 1991, the Israeli Civil Administration proceeded with precautionary measures to declare a “Master Plan” for every existing Israeli settlement in the West Bank, upon which the available lands for the settlements stands to date at 540 square kilometers (9.6% of the West Bank total area.) In area C, this constitutes 73.74% of total area, containing a Jewish population of around 700,000 and a Palestinian population of around 300,000.
Israeli Election Reflect Population
The number of settlers in the West Bank can also be cross-calculated by using the recent 2015 election results. The number of voters in 118 West Bank settlements13 excluding Jerusalem, as documented by the Central Election Committee for the 20th Knesset is 274,476 (see table). Assuming the percent of Israelis under the 18 year voting age is 32.26%, the weighted national average, the total number of settlers is 405,190. However in settlements, a more accurate percentage of Israelis under 18 is higher, 44.55%. This percentage is based on the weighted average percentages from the ICBS data for 19 West Bank settlements, including Ariel, Betar Illit, Modi’in Illit, Ma’ale Adumim, Oranit, and Immanuel. In this scenario, the number of settlers is 494,997, not including East Jerusalem settlements. Israeli settlers secured approximately 6 seats in the Knesset.
13 According to the ARIJ database, there are 196 settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. However, no data on polling stations could be found on the remaining 78.
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Number of seats secured through settlers' votes
1.80 1.56
1.60 1.30 1.40 1.20 1.00 0.82 0.76 0.80 0.49 0.60 0.38 0.32 0.40 0.17 0.13
Number of Seats 0.20 0.01 -
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Diplomatic Commitments:
On May 20th 2015, during his meeting with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed a commitment to a two state solution and a willingness to discuss the size of settlement blocs and their borders with Palestinians, his goal being to reach an understanding on the borders of settlement blocs that Israel would control under any peace agreement. In contrast to his earlier statements during election season, during which he promised there would be no Palestinian state during his tenancy, these recent statements are contradictory and disingenuous. As Netanyahu’s government stretches negotiations, Israel continues to complete the construction of the Wall, enforce its segregation plans, displace and evict Palestinians, develop Israeli settlements, and finalize its control over Jerusalem.
Regardless of what the Netanyahu administration’s pretexts are, these highlighted actions in the West Bank demonstrate a systematic attempt to deprive Palestinians of their rights, to expand settlements, and fragment Palestinian land and communities.
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