REPORT ON ISRAELI SETTLEMENT IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES A Bimonthly Publication of the Foundation for Middle East Peac e Volum e 21 N umber 3 May-June 2011 RUNNING IN PLACE: U.S. POLICY RUNS OUT OF STEAM By Geoffrey Aronson Jordan Valley was mooted. prompted Netanyahu to clarify that “[M]ost people,” Netanyahu declar - his definition of settlement blocs was It is a measure of the stalemate now ed, “broad.” The settler-run Web site Arutz defining the Israeli-Palestinian peace 7 observed that the Knesset speech was are [also] united in regard to my process that the mere reassertion by US viewpoints on the issue that seems to be “less defensive and more confident on and Israeli leaders of long-held, if con - in dispute, the political process with the this [settlement] issue [than his Bar Ilan flicting, views is counted as news. In a Palestinians. The citizens of Israel are speech one year ago], raising the ante series of speeches in late May, President much more united than is commonly and announcing that Israel would insist Barack Obama and Prime Minister believed, and much more united than the on keeping the large settlement blocs in Benjamin Netanyahu each sought to political parties that are supposed to rep - its possession.” make his case before an international resent them here in this house. There are Netanyahu reprised these themes in a audience whose frustration with U.S. consensuses regarding the basic issues: speech before a rapturous joint session leadership and Israeli rejectionism has First, about my demand that the of U.S. Congress on May 24, where he increased the prospect of support for Palestinians recognize the State of Israel acknowledged that not every settlement as the national homeland of the Jewish UN action on the creation of a Palestin - could be annexed to Israel. He noted people. ian state in September. Second, about my view, which is that, On the eve of a visit to Washington, shared by many here, that the agreement The status of the settlements will be Netanyahu, in a May 16 speech before between us must end the conflict and end decided only in negotiations. But we the Knesset, outlined his response to the demands from the State of Israel. must also be honest. So I am saying what Defense Minister Ehud Barak Third, that the problem of the Pale - today something that should be said pub - evocatively termed the “diplomatic stinian refugees will be resolved outside licly by anyone serious about peace. In any peace agreement that ends the con - tsunami” due to crest in September. Just of Israel and not within its borders. flict, some settlements will end up as the Palestinians have agreed upon an Fourth, that a Palestinian state only be established under a peace treaty that beyond Israel's borders. The precise uneasy and untested reconciliation, delineation of those borders must be Netanyahu sought to unify Israeli ranks will not compromise the safety of Israel. I believe there is agreement on this, and I negotiated. We will be very generous on in anticipation of an upcoming visit to stress that this state must be demilita - the size of a future Palestinian state. But Washington, where officials awaited his rized, with practical security arrange - as President Obama said, the border will views on the political process in the ments, including long term IDF presence be different than the one that existed on aftermath of Obama’s failed effort to along the Jordan River. June 4, 1967. Israel will not return to the premise negotiations on a settlement Fifth, we agree that we must maintain indefensible lines of 1967. freeze. Each leader in his own way, and the settlement blocs. Many of us agree each for his own reasons, appears deter - that the settlement blocs must remain There is a consensus in Israel that, as mined to move in a direction that the inside the borders of the State of Israel. former Mossad chief Ephraim Halevy U.S. president opposes. Sixth, that Jerusalem remain the unit - explained, “[Israel’s] room for maneuver Netanyahu’s views are somewhere to ed and sovereign capital of the State of is narrowing and the Quartet’s ability to the right of Prime Minister Ehud Israel. affect peace talks is diminishing.” The These are the principles that guide my Barak at Camp David in July 2000— response of the right-wing, including path, our path. where the idea of annexing settlement government ministers from the Likud, is blocks and establishing a military pres - After the speech, complaints by ence—without settlements—in the right-wing and settler organizations U.S. POLICY , continued on page 7 TO OUR READERS FOUNDATION FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE There is still time for the United States embedded for more than 40 years in occu - to rescue peace for Israel and Palestine and pation, settlements, and Jerusalem. To win Merle Thorpe, Jr. restore U.S. credibility in the region. Presi - support from the Israeli public, over time, Founder dent Obama did not meet this challenge the American policy would have to convey (1917–1994) during the recent visit of Israeli prime min - a tangible promise of peace, and, with stark ister Benjamin Netanyahu by offering, as clarity, that Israel’s current policies threaten Philip C. Wilcox, Jr. many had hoped, a comprehensive Ameri - not only its interests as a Jewish, democrat - President can peace initiative. ic state but also its vital interests with its Geoffrey Aronson The President edged the ball forward a best friend. Director, Research and bit in his May 19 speech, saying himself, as In the meantime, the U.S. could avoid Publica tions, Editor, Report on other U.S. officials have in the past, that further embarrassment and isolation by at Israeli Settlement in the Occupied talks on borders and land swaps should least abstaining on a proposed UN Security Territories start with the 1967 line, and that peace will Council resolution declaring Palestine a Nitzan Goldberger require “full” IDF withdrawals and credible member state. If, apart from Israel’s objec - Waseem Mardini security arrangements. But his proposal for tions, the U.S. believes that the symbolic Editorial Assistants postponing talks on refugees and Jerusalem and juridical impact of such UN action until borders and swaps are resolved— would be harmful to peace, or would chal - Tanya Malik Jerusalem is also a border issue—seems lenge the need for ultimate negotiations, Marc Mason Interns unreasonable. An integrated approach is Washington could deal with such problems needed. by negotiating on the text of the resolution. IN MEMORIAM Obama’s challenge is whether to risk If the U.S. remains unwilling to propose a Peter A. Gubser provoking a painful and unprecedented U.S. peace policy that could preempt the (1941–2010) confrontation with Netanyahu’s govern - UN agenda, engaging constructively in the DIRECTORS ment and the latter’s American right-wing UN process would better serve American Jewish and Christian allies, including con - interests than rejecting it with further ritual Landrum R. Bolling gressional Republicans, in an election year. statements on the exclusivity of direct Calvin H. Cobb, Jr. An American policy, to prevail, would have negotiations. James J. Cromwell to confront and reverse Israeli policies Stephen Hartwell Richard S.T. Marsh —————— N —————— Richard W. Murphy Jean C. Newsom 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 nego tiated division of historic Pales tine. It publishes the bi-monthly Report on Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Territories . Copyright © 2011 Sign up to receive the Report by e-mail, to be notified of events in Wash ing ton, D.C., and more. Visit us at www.fmep.org. 2 O Report on Israeli Settlement May-June 2011 WHEN MONTGOMERY COMES TO NABI SALEH By Mark Perry movable protests that the IDF has found impossible to sup - press. On March 24, the Israeli government arrested Bassem Abu Rahmah has become a symbol of the protests. While Tamimi, a 44-year-old resident of the small Palestinian village in prison, he smuggled letters to his supporters, including of Nabi Saleh, which is just west of Ramallah. Tamimi was one—written this last February—that has become a kind of arrested for leading a group of his neighbors in protest march - “Letter from Birmingham Jail” of the movement. “Ofer is an es on the nearby settlement of Halamish that had “expropriat - Israeli military base inside the occupied territories that serves ed” the village’s spring—the symbolic center of Nabi Saleh’s as a prison and military court,” he wrote. “The prison is a col - life. lection of tents enclosed by razor wire and an electrical fence, The arrest of Tamimi marked only the most recent escala - each unit containing four tents, 22 prisoners per tent. Now, in tion in Israel’s campaign to suffocate the Nabi Saleh move - winter, wind and rain comes through the cracks in the tent ment: in the two months prior to his arrest, Israeli officials and we don’t have sufficient blankets, clothes, and other basic detained more than 18 Nabi Saleh youths; over the last two necessities. Food is a critical issue here in Ofer, there’s not years, nearly 15 percent of Nabi Saleh’s population has spent enough. We survive by buying ingredients from the prison time in Israeli jails; half of those arrested have been under the canteen that we prepare for our tent. We have one small hot age of 18 and the youngest of them was 11.