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Home , Ganei Tal, Katif (moshav), Kfar Darom, Morag (moshav), Netzarim, Neve Dekalim

REPORT ON IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

A Bimonthly Publication of the Foundation for Middle East Peace Volume 15 Number 1 January-February 2005

SETTLERS LOSING THE BATTLE FOR GAZA SETTLEMENTS

By Geoffrey Aronson gagement Administration, announced, a consequence have raised fears of a vio- “All of the residents of [the Gaza set- lent and perhaps bloody summer as set- Prime Minister Sharon’s plan tlement] Pe’at Sadeh, 20 families in all, tlements are evacuated. to “disengage” from the Gaza as well as five additional families from The IDF, charged with the task of Strip and a small part of the northern other settlements, will move together to evacuating areas slated for disengage- achieved political and opera- Mavqi’im” in Israel. ment, remains profoundly ambivalent tional critical mass in late 2004. Military and logistical preparations about its mission. One day after settler A December vote in the for the $680 million redeployment pro- leaders warned chief-of-staff Moshe Central Committee opened the way to a ceed apace, including advanced consid- Ya’alon that thousands of religious sol- national unity “disengagement coalition” eration of the construction of a trench diers would not follow orders to evacu- that features the Labor party as a junior along the Gaza-Egypt border—and the ate settlements, Deputy Defense partner, marking a signal political defeat associated destruction of perhaps hun- Minister Ze’ev Boim said that such a for forces within Sharon’s own party dreds of Palestinian dwellings along its refusal could torpedo the disengagement who opposed the plan. route—meant to prevent the construc- plan. As the IDF issues the operational The operational momentum of the tion of arms smuggling tunnels. The orders guiding evacuation, those settlers plan also continued to grow. In early evacuation of Gaza settlements is to and their allies committed to physically December the more than 200 teachers begin on July 3, 2005, and run for obstructing the withdrawal are ambigu- in Gaza settlements met with officials in twelve weeks. ously described as “our forces.” As the the Ministry of Education to reach While the fate of the settlements Israeli newspaper Ma’ariv described it, agreement on new employment after the noted in the plan has been all but “In such a fashion a situation may be evacuation of the 17 settlements in the sealed, the vast majority of settlements created in which ‘our forces’ will be and four in the northern continue to thrive and prosper. The set- required to evacuate ‘our forces’ from West Bank. On December 26, Yonatan tler population increased by six percent their homes, to manacle them and to Bassi, head of the government Disen- during 2004 to 250,179 (not including confine them to holding camps. In the 180,000 in East Jerusalem) and almost most extreme instance, ‘our forces’ (set- 4,000 new settlement dwelling units are tlers and right-wing activists) battle ‘our See our website for recent currently under construction. forces’ (soldiers and police), even going articles, reports, maps, and Notwithstanding the ever-present so far as to open fire upon them.” momentum of settlement expansion One senior member of the security pictures: www.fmep.org. throughout the West Bank and East forces was reported to have called this Also in this issue: Jerusalem, the settler-led campaign to scenario “a coalition of the insane. block implementation of the disengage- Thousands of settlers hunker down in on Gaza Settlements 3 ment plan, and more critically the cam- the settlements scheduled for evacua- Settlement Time Line 4–5 paign to undermine any future evacua- tion. Some of them are prepared to use U.S. Short Takes 7 tion of additional settlements in the arms. Settlers and soldiers grab each ——— ◆ ——— West Bank, has suffered a cascade of others’ throats while missiles fly Arabic and Hebrew translations of setbacks unprecedented in the history of overhead.” recent Settlement Reports can be viewed Israel’s 37-year settlement enterprise. at www.fmep.org. These reversals have alarmed the settle- ment movement as never before and as SETTLERS, continued on page 6 TO OUR READERS FOUNDATION FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE The Israeli-Palestinian conflict offers the horse. True freedom and democracy for President George W. Bush a stunning Palestinians require an end to Israel’s occu- Merle Thorpe, Jr. opportunity to demonstrate the sincerity of pation and settlements and the emergence Founder his intention, grandly announced in his of a sovereign Palestinian state with viable (1917–1994) January 20 inaugural speech, to extend the borders and economic prospects. blessings of freedom and democracy Israel’s liberty and democracy also Philip C. Wilcox, Jr. abroad. What better place to begin than depend upon liberation of the Palestinians. President Israel and Palestine? Where else could Israel’s democracy cannot long survive the Geoffrey Aronson American leadership so readily combine the corrupting burdens of occupation and the Director, Research and rewards of commitment to principle, attendant repression of a potential demo- Publications, Editor, Report on morality and human rights with enhancing graphic majority of Palestinians. Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Territories America's national security and restoring Add to this confluence of Israeli and its credibility? Palestinian interests a new, more centrist Ashely Brott The Palestinians offer a ripe opportunity coalition in Israel, Sharon’s plans to evacu- Editorial Assistant for U.S. democratization goals in the ate Gaza settlements, the declining power Kyle Little Middle East. They are well prepared, with of the settler right (described in this issue), Andrea Shaw their high level of education and experience plus polls showing a convergence of Israeli Interns with grass roots and civic organization. and Palestinian public views on the ingre- The recent orderly election of President dients for peace, and the opportunity for TRUSTEES Mahmoud Abbas, municipal elections, and renewed American diplomatic leadership forthcoming parliamentary elections con- becomes even more promising. So what are Lucius D. Battle firm their eagerness for democracy. But we waiting for? Landrum R. Bolling democracy for Palestinians cannot be Calvin H. Cobb, Jr. achieved without liberty. The notion, sug- James J. Cromwell gested by President Bush last December, Peter Gubser that democracy and reform must precede Stephen Hartwell Palestinian statehood, puts the cart before Richard S.T. Marsh Richard W. Murphy Jean C. Newsom Sharon Faces Settler Tsunami Gail Pressberg William B. Quandt Nicholas A. Veliotes

The Foundation, a non- profit I.R.C. 501(c)(3) organization, supports peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians through mutual recognition and a negotiated division of historic Pales- tine. It publishes the bi- monthly Report on Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Territories. Copyright © 2005

2 ❖ Report on Israeli Settlement January-February 2005 PALESTINIANS CONSIDER USES FOR SETTLEMENTS AFTER DISENGAGEMENT

Palestinians are considering potential uses for settlement areas to on pure speculation. be evacuated by Israel later this year in the Gaza Strip and West Areas used for agriculture can be easily reintegrated as Bank as part of its disengagement plan. The following are excerpts such, with an emphasis on changing cropping patterns and from Reintegration and Development of Evacuated Areas,pre- irrigation methods, etc., to minimize water use such as [in] pared by the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Planning. horticulture and production of value crops, e.g., vegetables, strawberries, and flowers. This concerns all colony areas. Gaza Strip The road network in the colony areas coincides with the The sand dune areas in the north and south, where the two configuration of the regional road network in the Gaza Strip. major colony blocs [Nissanit and the bloc] are located, Hence, the main road network of the colonies should be kept contain the best water aquifers, represent landscapes and nat- intact. The utility of local roads will be decided upon after ural features of very high value, and constitute an important inspection. potential for environmentally sound, sustainable agriculture. Infrastructure, such as electricity, water, [and] wastewater According to the Regional Plan for Gaza Governorates, it is of and telecommunication networks and facilities, can largely be the utmost importance that these areas are protected against taken over and reused, pending inspection and evaluation. . . . unplanned development. As a rule, the sand dune areas will be All formal and informal solid waste dumps must be reintegrated as areas under environmental protection against removed. Toxic and otherwise harmful waste [must also be] urban development. The assets in the urban built-up areas of completely removed, and the natural state restored. the colonies must therefore be removed, because they endan- West Bank ger Palestinian long-term sustainability requirements. This would also include service buildings, such as fire stations, clin- Israeli withdrawal from the four colonies with maintenance ics, and schools. of the existing closure system would not bring any benefits to can be a part of the urban growth strategy of the Palestinian community. It would provide only marginal and would serve as a core for low density develop- benefits for Palestinian development. In political and humani- ment. tarian terms, mere withdrawal will not contribute to any sig- is situated on the main road between Khan Yunis nificant improvement. . . . and Rafah. The location does not coincide with the growth Ganim and Qadim are located within a Nature Protection strategy for these two cities, however, Morag is interesting Area. There are two alternative uses of the area, which to because of its function as an agricultural colony. It could serve varying degrees, could be combined: as a research and development facility in agriculture, in con- ■ Rehabilitate the area as a natural reserve, reestablish lost nection with university expansion plans in the south. . . . vegetation, and reintegrate it into the Nature Protection Area. does not coincide with growth strategies for ■ Explore the area’s potential for local tourism and recre- Deir el Balah, but neither does the location contradict them. . ation based on ecological principles and sustainable use...... These considerations point to the conclusion that Kfar Sa Nur is located within a valuable agricultural area. . . . Darom is better suited for agricultural purposes than for The site has potential use primarily in military/administrative urban functions. uses. Erez [industrial zone] will retain its significance after the Homesh is a hilltop settlement. Because of topographical withdrawal of Israeli forces and should be integrated and conditions, according to the Regional Plan for the West Bank strengthened as an industrial zone when transferred to Governorates, it has no potential for urban development. Palestinian control. Before colonization, it was used for agricultural purposes, pri- The industrial plant does not coincide with marily horticulture and grazing. It should thus be rehabilitat- any Palestinian needs or interests for development. It contra- ed as an agricultural area, where fruit trees could be replanted, dicts the environmental considerations and, therefore, must be etc. removed and the soil restored. The northern part of [the]West Bank is neither an inde- Some of the sand dune colonies [Katif bloc] have a typical pendently functional territory nor a political entity in itself, suburban residential quality that could be utilized as tourist particularly if existing restrictions on movement of goods, villages/resorts. They contain residential and recreational services, people, and capital persist. Full withdrawal would structures such as the hotel and pool in the south, and restau- still leave the area isolated from its regional center, Nablus, rants, playgrounds, [and] sports facilities in other areas that from the rest of the West Bank and Gaza, and from neigh- could be reintegrated within a Palestinian tourism and recre- boring countries. ation concept. Further investigation is required in order to Mere withdrawal from the four colonies would create a ensure their compliance with the relevant environmental limited number of minor project possibilities—at a local considerations. These units, if reintegrated, must not be level—which would represent a very marginal but positive allowed to form clusters for random densification based contribution. ◆

January-February 2005 Report on Israeli Settlement ❖ 3 SETTLEMENT TIME LINE

September 1 The Jerusalem municipality side of the separation barrier. (Ha’aretz) on the Katif bloc in southern Gaza since reports that 3,000 Palestinian students and September 2000. (Arutz 7) September 9 Following a hearing by the scores of their teachers must transit Israeli High Court of Justice, the State September 24 Ha’aretz reports that Jerusalem’s northern security barrier to Prosecutor’s Office agrees to refrain from Jerusalem mayor Uri Lupolianski wants to attend public schools in the city. (Ha’aretz) demolishing the residences of 83 Palestin- rezone the neighborhood of Wadi Juz in September 2 Globes reports the estimated ians in the southern Hebron Hills near the East Jerusalem to settle Jews in the area. cost of the Israeli disengagement plan to be settlement of Susiya. The residents agree to Kol Ha’Ir reports that an assistant to Jerusa- between $600 million and $900 million, half apply for retroactive building permits. lem’s mayor is involved in the establishment for removing Jewish settlers and half for the (Ha’aretz) of an unauthorized settlement outpost near withdrawal of the and Five settlers cooperating with the Jewish his home in the settlement of Kfar Adumim. military infrastructure. section of Israel’s internal security agency September 28 An Israeli court places a September 3 Israel’s security agencies are Shabak have been exposed by extremists and man under house arrest in the West Bank concerned about the increasing number of subject to protests by the radical groups settlement of Itamar until legal proceedings plots by extreme Jewish right-wing activists “Kach” and “Kahane Lives.” One who are concluded against him for shooting a and settlers against security officials involved sought to move from one settlement near Palestinian. The settler claims he shot the in removing settlement outposts and moni- Hebron to another in the north of the West man in self-defense when the Palestinian toring the radical right-wing. (Ha’aretz) Bank was refused by the local council when tried to run him off the road. A Palestinian his activities became known. Another left a A new organization—“Our Wailing Wall”— witness told police that the settler opened settlement near Ramallah and now resides is spearheading efforts to establish regular fire without provocation. (Ha’aretz) abroad. (Ma’ariv) prayers in Jerusalem’s Old City Muslim September 29 Israel begins “Operation Quarter near the “Little Wall.” (Kol Ha’Ir) September 10 A 6 km section of the secu- Days of Penitence,” its largest military incur- rity barrier will be demolished and rebuilt to Four Palestinians are killed and twenty-five sion in Gaza this year. (UN News) locate the village of Jabarra and its 250 injured by IDF fire after the discovery of a inhabitants east of the barrier. As a result of The IDF demolishes 10 houses in Khan 450 meter-long tunnel from Deir al Balah to the High Court decision to invalidate the Yunis in response to the killing of three the nearby Gaza settlement of Kfar Darom. trajectory of the barrier near Jerusalem, soldiers near Morag in Gaza’s September 5 The Jerusalem municipality’s 14,500 dunams initially marked for inclusion Katif bloc and the firing of a mortar shell on education authority reports a large increase west of the barrier will now be located to the September 22 that killed a woman in Neve in the number of students seeking to register east of it. A change will also be made at the Dekalim. (Ha’aretz) for schools in East Jerusalem because many village of Azun Atma, where 1,000 Palestin- Three Palestinians are wounded by gunfire families are relocating to areas that lie West ians reside. They will be encircled by the while attempting to infiltrate the Kfar of the barrier. (Ma’ariv) barrier and have free access to the West Darom settlement in Gaza. (Arutz 7) Bank instead of being located on the western The Israeli Defense Ministry begins con- Israeli troops enter the Jabalya refugee camp (Israeli) side of the barrier. (Ha’aretz) struction on a 40 km stretch of the separa- in the northern Gaza Strip after Hamas tion barrier southwest of Hebron, five days September 12 Seventy thousand Israelis members fire a Qassam rocket into Israel, after a Palestinian suicide attack in demonstrate in Jerusalem against the disen- killing two small children in . Beersheva kills 16 people. Work also begins gagement plan. (Ha’aretz) on a 6 km segment along the route of the Patrols Road on the , west of the September 20 Israel’s use of $9 billion in September 30 Ha’aretz reports an Israeli Palestinian village of Beit Awa and close to U.S. loan guarantees is extended by two woman and an IDF infantryman the Shekef settlement. (Ha’aretz) years to five years (2007), with an option for killed in separate Palestinian attacks in the a one-year extension (2008). Israel has northern Gaza Strip. September 8 Ha’aretz reports Agriculture already financed bonds backed by $3.4 bil- A female settler is killed while jogging out- Minister Israel Katz’s intention to expropri- lion in U.S. guarantees. (Ma’ariv) ate 31,200 dunams of agricultural land in the side the northern Gaza settlement of Aley Valley to “hold and designate it for September 22 In the first suicide attack in Sinai. (Ha’aretz) Jewish settlements in the valley and to pre- Jerusalem in seven months, an 18-year-old October 1 Ha’aretz reports the IDF con- vent the possibility of their being taken over Palestinian woman kills 2 Israeli border trolling a 9 km stretch of territory on the by hostile elements.” The plan involves 3,200 police and wounds seventeen other people in outskirts of the Jabalya refugee camp in dunams of land now occupied by the IDF the French Hill neighborhood of East Gaza in an effort to keep Sderot and sur- and another 28,000 dunams of grazing land Jerusalem. (Reuters) rounding areas of Israel out of range of as well as a program of incentives to encour- A 22-year-old Israeli woman becomes the Qassam rockets, whose maximum range is 9 age Israeli Jews to settle in the region. first civilian killed by direct mortar fire, km. Prime Minister declares that which hit her home in Neve Dekalim. Arutz Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, rabbi of Bet El and a the settlement blocs of Ariel, , 7 reports that there have been more than prominent voice in the settler community, and Ma’ale Adumim will be on the western 4,500 Palestinian rocket and shelling attacks issues a ruling aimed at observant soldiers

4 ❖ Report on Israeli Settlement January-February 2005 SETTLEMENT TIME LINE and officers that it is “forbidden to refuse an to land confiscation. (Ha’aretz) October 20 A Tel Aviv University study order to evacuate a [settlement] community.” finds that settlements in the West Bank and The first “outpost” settlement in the Gaza (Ma’ariv) Gaza Strip receive at least twice as much Strip—Teferet Israel—is established in the financial aid per capita from the Israeli October 3 More than 35 Israeli tanks and Katif bloc. (Yediot Aharanot) Interior Ministry as Jewish communities in 5 bulldozers move into Tel al-Zatar, north- October 13 Ha’aretz reports a Jerusalem Israel and three times as much as Israeli east of Jabalya, razing at least seven houses, contractor has been dumping construction Arab communities. (Ha’aretz) two factories, and a kindergarten. (AP) materials on Palestinian agricultural land in October 22 Ha’aretz reports the distribu- A 42-unit housing development is opened in the wadi between the settlement of Beitar tion of pamphlets in synagogues declaring the outpost of Brukin, southeast of Ariel. Ilit and Nahalin. Brig. Gen. Ilan Paz, head of the civil admin- Established without formal authorization in October 14 In an 18-page report, UN rep- istration in the West Bank, “an enemy of set- 1999, the settlement has a current popula- resentative for human rights John Dugard tlement”, because he refuses to grant legiti- tion of 54 families. The ministry of housing accuses Israel of human rights violations in macy to settlement outposts. Right-wing sponsored the construction. (Ha’aretz) the West Bank and Gaza Strip, including Internet sites call for physical attacks against October 5 Two mortar shells hit the Katif “massive and wanton destruction of proper- him. bloc settlement of Atzmona, damaging a ty” during military operations in the Gaza October 24 In retaliation for the October home. A third shell aimed at the Katif bloc Strip. “Bulldozers have destroyed homes in a 21 assassination of two Hamas leaders, settlement of Kfar Darom, lands in Palestin- purposeless manner and have savagely dug Hamas fires some 30 mortar shells at Neve ian controlled territory. No one is injured. up roads, including electricity, sewage and Dekalim, in the Katif bloc; Netzarim, in the (Arutz 7) water lines.” The report states that in the last central Gaza strip; and Nissanit, in northern four years, “1,497 buildings have been The Palestinian Legislative Council passes a Gaza. A number of homes are damaged in demolished in Rafah, affecting over 15,000 resolution opposing rocket attacks on Israel. Neve Dekalim, but no one is hurt. (Ha’aretz) people.” The report maintains that some of (Mideast Mirror) the destruction is for operational purposes, Near Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem, two October 7 The UN issues a report warn- but often it is not. (Ha’aretz) Jewish families move into a house purchased ing of an impending humanitarian crisis in two years earlier with permission of then- October 15 Sixty rabbis, among them a the Gaza Strip. It estimates that Israel de- defense minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezar and former chief rabbi, the head of the YESHA molished an average of 120 Palestinian resi- the civil administration. (Ha’aretz) rabbinical council, and numerous settlement dential buildings each month in 2004. rabbis, call upon soldiers to refuse orders to October 25 Former Labor Party leader and (BBC) evacuate settlements. (Ha’aretz) MK Amram Mitzna tells residents of Aley October 10 Ha’aretz reports the arrest of Sinai that their settlement, along with those Israel ends Operation Days of Penitence. At three settlers from the northern West Bank of and Nissanit, could remain under least 107 people are reported killed and settlement of Tapuah on suspicion of setting Israeli control if the disengagement plan is nearly 200 homes destroyed. (UN News) fire to an olive grove in Kafr Yosef and coordinated with the Palestinians. (Ha’aretz) harassing Palestinian residents. Police chief October 16 Ha’aretz reports attacks by superintendent Chaim Fadlon states, “Every masked settlers dressed in black from the The IDF removes the two Jewish families year during this season, there is harassment Hebron area settlement of Maon and the attempting to settle near Rachel’s Tomb in against Palestinians harvesting their olives.” neighboring outpost Maon farm on interna- Bethlehem. (Mideast Mirror) October 11 A Palestinian farmer is shot tional volunteers accompanying Palestinian October 26 Settlers at Outpost 725, near and critically wounded in his olive grove children from Kfar Tuba on their way to the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar prevent near the settlement of Yitzhar. The IDF school in Kfar Tuwanna. an ambulance from reaching Salman Yussuf notes that the attack occurred in an area October 18 The Palestinian Human Saadi, an 18-year-old Palestinian from Orif where Palestinians are expected to “coordi- Rights Monitoring Group reports that the who was shot by the outpost’s security offi- nate” with the IDF to provide IDF protec- Israeli army has destroyed or partially dam- cer and died before the ambulance arrived. tion for harvesters. Palestinians blame sol- aged nearly 100 buildings, including homes (Ha’aretz) diers, while the IDF blames a Jewish settler. and schools, water and electricity networks, IDF forces open fire on two Palestinians (Ha’aretz) roads, and other vital infrastructure in Gaza reportedly placing an explosive device near October 12 The IDF limits the five-week since September 30. the Gaza Strip settlement of Ganei Tal. Palestinian olive harvest to one to three days October 19 The Washington Post reports (Ha’aretz) in 30 villages in the Nablus area as a result that according to the UN Relief and Works Arutz 7 reports that the Katif bloc has of settler attacks in previous years against Agency (UNRWA), the Israeli military has counted 4,630 shells and rockets fired at harvesting in areas near settlement fences. destroyed at least 1,686 houses in the Rafah homes and property in the past four years, The IDF claims that it will guard harvesters refugee camp and adjacent city of Rafah. In an average of more than three per day. on the assigned days. Palestinians complain the last four years of conflict, nearly 17,000 that the harvest cannot be completed in such people—about 10% of the Rafah popula- a timeframe and that the order is a prelude tion—have been left homeless. TIME LINE, continued on page 6

January-February 2005 Report on Israeli Settlement ❖ 5 SETTLERS, continued from page 1 Holocaust imagery in the service of their efforts. The plan confirmed the image of Sharon’s opponents, in the words of As the political prospects favoring implementation of the one Jerusalem Post columnist, as a “crowd of fanatics.” A public disengagement plan have grown, so too has the militancy of outcry forced the abandonment of the action within days. In the settler, religious, and right-wing opposition. The state- January 2005, settlers once again violently confronted soldiers ments and actions of these opponents, however, have more sent to dismantle two mobile homes placed in a settlement often than not been uncharacteristically politically inept, outpost without authorization. At one point, an IDF soldier highlighting their political marginalization and the Israeli fired a warning shot. public’s increasing disaffection with their efforts. The program of opposition marked by exploitation of The settlers made a key strategic mistake in underestimat- Holocaust imagery, calls for insubordination by soldiers, and ing Sharon’s determination to evacuate a few settlements in appeals to the supremacy of divine imperatives over civil laws order to secure the future of most of them. Many veterans of has placed settlers and their supporters at the ineffective mar- Gush Emunim had long collaborated with Sharon in their gins of political action. What distinguishes this campaign shared mission to expand the settlement enterprise through- from previous efforts, however, is not so much the use of these out the occupied territories. But their motives were always instruments. Settlers have, after all, never honored the sanctity based upon different assumptions. Whereas settler support for of law when it obstructed their aims. Ariel Sharon himself such activity has always been unconditional and absolute, once famously advised soldiers to ignore orders to confront Sharon, true to his political heritage, always viewed the colo- settlers. What has changed, however, is the use of these tactics nization of the territories, even when it occurred in opposition in a political environment that is no longer committed to their to government policy, as an instrument for realizing state maximalist territorial agenda. This is not to suggest that the security, a goal viewed by the settlement movement as inci- settlement movement itself is in danger or that Sharon has dental if not irrelevant to their divinely inspired mission. As adopted the Geneva plan. The facts on the ground continue they embarked upon a campaign in mid-2004 to scuttle the to attest that this is not the case. But it is this clash of inter- plan, disengagement opponents discovered that they lacked ests that serves to highlight the radical and marginal core of the political patronage and military support that they had the settlement movement as it has always been, from the days always enjoyed and that was necessary in assuring that their more than two decades ago when settlers clashed with the interests would remain paramount. IDF at Sebastia to the recent confrontations at an outpost Throughout the summer and fall, Sharon’s plan survived a near Yitzhar. ◆ series of coalition, party, and popular challenges by settlers and their political allies. As these campaigns failed, extra-par- liamentary and extra-political actions were initiated, which —————— ◆ —————— while not in and of themselves new, were increasingly viewed as illegitimate by the public-at-large that supports the Sharon TIME LINE, continued from page 5 plan by a wide margin. In June 2004, for example, Uri Elitzur, A report from the UN Commission on Human Rights concludes editor of the settler monthly Nekuda, justified a soldier’s that during the IDF’s Operation Rainbow in Rafah from May 13-25, refusal of an order to evacuate a settlement, and violent oppo- 2004, 289 buildings housing 3,800 people were demolished. sition, including injury to soldiers, in resisting orders to evac- UNRWA finds that during Operation Days of Penitence the IDF uate settlements. In September, Nadia Matter, a leader of demolished 91 houses and left 675 Palestinians homeless. It also Women in Green, described the newly formed Disengage- announces that an average of 45 Gaza residents per day, or 1,360 a ment Administration as “a modern-day Judenrat,” raising month, are made homeless. (Jerusalem Post) associations between the Sharon administration and the Nazis October 27 The Knesset approves the Sharon government’s are so explosive culturally that they all but guarantee the disengagement plan in a 67–45 vote, with 7 abstentions. (Arutz 7) political marginalization of their proponents. In October, Ha’aretz reports that for the second time this year, Israel has raised Abraham Shapira, a former chief rabbi of Israel, called upon money by issuing bonds in U.S. capital markets backed by U.S. loan religious soldiers to refuse evacuation orders, claiming that guarantees. Israel raised $4.1 billion using guarantees approved in “expulsion of Jews from their homes is absolutely forbidden.” 2003. In 2004 the Bush administration chose not to reduce the guar- Sixty rabbis endorsed his declaration to defy a “secular order” antees by deducting Israeli expenditures on settlements as it did in rather than ignore one ostensibly originating in the Bible. 2003. Sources believe that the United States is easing pressure on Days after the Likud Central Committee voted in December Israel to evacuate outposts and freeze settlement construction in to join with the Labor Party in a unity government, the order to focus on implementing the disengagement plan. YESHA Council, the official governmental representative of October 31 The U.S. administration rejects as unsatisfactory the all settlements, endorsed settler leader Pinchas Wallerstein’s list of unauthorized outposts in the West Bank presented by the call to break the law if necessary to prevent disengagement. Israeli Defense Ministry. Twenty-three established outposts were Soon thereafter, some settlers in Gaza began wearing orange listed—the U.S. government believes the number to be much higher. patches in the shape of a Star of David, once again employing (Ha’aretz)

6 ❖ Report on Israeli Settlement January-February 2005 SHORT TAKES

A Flexible Freeze at State 14, 2004, “In the plan for Zufim there is an extension to the north of the settlement that was already approved. There is Question: Is it also your [view] that Israel is committed to also another expansion to the east. But there is no territorial all parts of the road map, including the freeze on settlements, contiguity between Zufim and the new construction, so it is which would include natural growth? really a new settlement.” State Department Deputy Spokesman: Those are commit- The Guardian reported that Foreign Ministry spokesman ments that have been made—to work toward a freeze of set- Mark Regev, when asked to explain how this construction tlement activity, including natural growth. was consistent with the purported understanding with Question: Well, to work towards a freeze in settlement Washington, answered, “We are talking about places that it’s activity? No, no, the roadmap says freeze all settlement activi- accepted will remain inside Israel whatever the outcome of ty. final status talks. It’s possible that in those places the thinking Spokesman: Yes. is different.” Question: Not work towards a freeze. The idea of a formal U.S.-Israel agreement establishing Spokesman: And we are—our position is that that is the permissible settlement expansion in each settlement has been goal that we are working toward, a freeze on settlement activi- an on-again-off-again proposition. Professionals at the State ty. Department and elsewhere remain vehemently opposed to Question: And in the meantime, it may be okay for there such an effort, arguing that it engages the U.S. in micro-man- to be growth of settlements? aging settlement expansion and formally makes Washington Spokesman: We need to get from where we are to a freeze, an accomplice in an Israeli effort U.S. policy has opposed for and that is a process that we are engaged with the Israelis on. almost four decades. State Department Daily Press Briefing Support for the idea is said to be centered at the Middle Adam Ereli, Deputy Spokesman East bureau at the National Security Council headed by Elliot October 6, 2004 Abrams. No Penalty for Settlement Expansion The Washington Post reported on October 30, 2004, that “some key administration officials, such as Elliott Abrams, the The Bush Administration has decided not to penalize top Middle East specialist on the White House’s National Israel for its settlement construction activities in the occupied Security Council staff, privately have long pressed for a more territories by reducing the amount of U.S. loan guarantees expansive definition of natural growth. After [Israeli prime made available to Israel. The three year $9 billion program of minister Ariel] Sharon announced his plan to withdraw from guarantees is similar to a $10 billion program established in Gaza last December, a senior administration official told the early 1990s to facilitate the absorption of Soviet immi- reporters at a briefing that the purpose of a settlement freeze grants. Last year the United States deducted $170 million is to make sure additional settlers would not impede Palestin- from the loan guarantee amount. ian life or prevent the formation of a viable Palestinian state. ————————————— It makes no difference, he said, if the Israelis add another house within a block of existing homes. ‘We have not taken The More Things Change, the More They Remain the Same the position there has to be an end to natural growth in settlements,’ he said.” Since the summer of 2002, Israeli officials have claimed, Washington’s support for the natural growth of settlements and U.S. officials have denied, that the Bush administration was first declared in March 1993, during the Clinton admin- has agreed to settlement expansion within the built-up areas istration. of existing settlements and that all settlement expansion tak- ing place is consistent with that limitation. Notwithstanding ————————————— the problematic nature of such an agreement, which is a deliberatively ineffective means of constraining settlement “Parsing a Settlement Freeze” expansion, even a cursory survey of expansion activities in the West Bank suggests that Israel is blatantly ignoring its territo- We are concerned about all kinds of settlement activity, to rial restrictions. include different definitions of what growth is. And we’re The settlement of Zufim, for example, near Kalkilya, now working with the Israelis to define what a settlement is and home to 200 families, is set to expand by ten times that num- what the difference is between natural growth and expansion, ber on lands both north and east of the existing community and is natural growth something that is consistent with the located to the west of the security barrier. Yehezkel Lein, a Israelis’ commitments to us. researcher for the Israeli human rights organization Betselem, Secretary of State Colin Powell, noted in an article appearing in the Guardian on December Egyptian Television interview, October 29, 2004

January-February 2005 Report on Israeli Settlement ❖ 7 BUSH LIGHTS A CANDLE FOR OTNIEL

On the evening of December 27, 2002, two Palestinian Otniel—is dismissed by Bush as representative of the failed members of Islamic Jihad from the village of Dura, in the policies of the past. Hebron area, infiltrated the settlement of Otniel by cutting “Achieving peace in the Holy land is not just a matter of the fence surrounding the settlement of 400. They wore army pressuring one side or the other on the shape of a border or uniforms and carried M-16 rifles, ammunition, and hand the site of a settlement,” Bush said in a December 1, 2004 grenades. St.-Sgt. Noam Apter, 23, a resident of the settle- speech outlining his second term foreign policy priorities. ment of Shilo doing his military service at Otniel, was one of “This approach has been tried before without success. As we four people killed when the attackers burst into the kitchen of negotiate the details of peace, we must look to the heart of the religious military academy Apter was attending. Apter the matter, which is the need for Palestinian democracy.” managed to close the door to the adjoining dining room, Israel, for its part, remains wedded to a policy of creating where scores of student soldiers were eating, before he was facts on the ground, evidenced by an advertisement at killed. http://www.geocities.com/m_yericho/otniel.htm: According to a December 9, 2004 report by the settler “[Following a recent expansion program, Otniel] is now news agency Arutz 7, this year, to commemorate Hanukah ready to consider applications by religious families of all ages and Apter’s memory, a Florida congregation, one of whose and socio-economic groups. All applicants must be inter- rabbis once taught at the Otniel academy, “constructed a huge viewed and are subject to acceptance and approval by the menorah with a picture of Noam beside it in his memory. Otniel New Residents Committee. U.S. president George W. Bush heard about the menorah and “Families purchasing or building their homes in Otniel are about Apter’s heroics and requested that the Chanukah entitled to special mortgages and loans totaling up to $56,000. menorah be lit at the White House.” Of these mortgages and loans, approximately $21,000 are The territorial dimension of the conflict between Israel and automatically converted into a grant (forgiven) if the family the Palestinians—symbolized by the Palestinian attack in continues to reside in Otniel for 15 years.” ◆

Ben Shohat, who grew up in the Ramot [settlement] Ben Shohat’s attitude toward the state is complex. The neighborhood in Jerusalem, came to Yitzhar “because here dispute is between a Jewish state and a state of Israelis; they live the ideals. Here people are closer to the truth and between a Jewish state and a democratic state. “Together— to the Holy One, blessed be he, than in other places.” it isn’t going to work! Judaism is unequivocally contradicto- What truth? ry to democracy, and the laws of the Torah take precedence Ben Shohat: “Judaism, which is endangering your over the laws of the state. Whom will I obey? My Creator democracy.” or a commander who might be a year or two older than Is there no Judaism outside of Yitzhar? me? I’m not dealing with the question of how I will act on “Of course there is, but here the commitment is many the day of the evacuation. I’m doing everything, now times greater, and also there is no inhibition about touching already, so that the day will never arrive.” the points of friction today—settling the land and war on Nadav Shragai, “A Rehearsal for the Real Thing?,” the enemy.” Ha’aretz, January 7, 2005

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