REPORT ON ISRAELI SETTLEMENT IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES A Bimonthly Publication of the Foundation for Middle East Peace Volume 17 Number 1 January-February 2007 WORDS ALONE WILL NOT END OCCUPATION Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has choice between the entire land of to our Palestinian neighbors, hoping distinguished himself in his first year as Israel without a Jewish state, or a that it will not be rejected. Prime Minister by his unprecedented Jewish state without the entire land Olmert’s adoption of the Ben Gurion rhetorical support for a large-scale evac- of Israel—we chose a Jewish state model is instructive in another and per- uation of land and settlements in the without the entire land of Israel”. haps more telling way: Not only did West Bank. No Israeli leader since 1967 This historic choice made by Ben- Ben Gurion patent the “no partner” has been as forthright in invoking the Gurion at the conclusion of the war mantra of an era marked by stalemate need for an Israeli withdrawal from of independence was painful, but and war, it was Ben Gurion after all areas that Olmert himself long-consid- courageous, heart-wrenching, and who championed the policy—born in ered an integral part of Israel. But along sober. Cherished and beloved parts of the pre-state era—of creating territorial with his professed support for with- our homeland—the cradle of our his- facts on the ground as outposts marking drawal, Olmert, like Israel’s founding tory—remained beyond the border, the perimeter of what, in the aftermath prime minister, David Ben Gurion, has but a solid Jewish majority was guar- of the first war in Palestine, would used a ready and potent alibi—Arab anteed in the State of Israel. become the State of Israel. rejectionism—to explain his failure to Time passed, Arab animosity and Ben Gurion’s tenure was marked by do so. terrorism resulted in more war, and continuing enmity and conflict between In a November 2006 speech marking some 40 years ago, Israel was again Israel and its Arab neighbors, including a memorial ceremony for Ben Gurion faced with the difficult choice: many a slow-burning battle against Palestinian and his wife, Olmert said, good people advocated the vision of infiltration from the West Bank and Three years ago, in my capacity as Greater Israel. Gaza Strip, not unlike the current con- vice prime minister for Prime Minis- David Ben-Gurion, already a flict by attrition on the Gaza-Israel ter Ariel Sharon, I delivered a speech retired statesman, ruled that in frontier. This era of confrontation was here and quoted from David Ben- exchange for true peace, Israel must broken not by Ben Gurion—whose Gurion’s address at a 1949 Knesset relinquish a vast majority of the terri- legacy was one of state building, not debate on the armistice agreements, tories occupied in the Six Day War. peacemaking—but by Ben Gurion’s in which he said: Much has happened since then: facts political nemesis, Menachem Begin, “. when we were faced with the were established on the ground, who made peace with Egypt. agreements were signed, the interna- Like Ben Gurion, Olmert excels at tional and regional arena changed creating facts on the ground. Notwith- Please visit our website to see its beyond recognition. The bloody con- standing his rhetorical support for with- new look and improved navigation. flict with the Palestinians has not drawing from occupied territory, under Sign up to receive the Report by ended. Ben-Gurion’s basic diagnosis his watch, the settler population in the e-mail, to be notified of events in remained valid and continues to West Bank (excluding East Jerusalem) Washington, D.C., and more. Visit guide—with the necessary amend- increased by nearly 6 percent in 2006, us at www.fmep.org. ments—the position of Israeli gov- more than quadruple the 1.4 percent ernments in our peace policy today. growth rate in 2005. There were Also in this issue: Already at the time of Israel’s 268,379 Israelis living in the West Bank Jordan Valley Short Takes 3 birth, Ben-Gurion extended his hand at the end of 2006, according to the Settlement Time Line 4–6 in peace to the Arab nations. His Israeli Interior Ministry, compared to Short Takes 6 hand was rejected, but it remains extended. I extend my hand in peace WORDS ALONE, continued on page 7 TO OUR READERS FOUNDATION FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE The rash of ad hominem criticism of for- 1967, it “chose to become a colonial society. mer president Jimmy Carter’s best-selling In effect, we established an apartheid Merle Thorpe, Jr. Palestine Peace Not Apartheid is the latest regime.” Founder example of the dedicated effort of Ameri- Israel is a troubled young nation that (1917–1994) can groups and individuals who describe deserves special respect because of the themselves as “pro-Israel” to discourage tragedies of Jewish history. Nevertheless, it Philip C. Wilcox, Jr. criticism of Israel’s policies toward the is a nation like others that is capable of President Palestinians. good and bad. It is a disservice to Israel Geoffrey Aronson Many of the attacks on Carter’s book and to the United States to shield Israel Director, Research and and charges that he is “anti-Israel” focus on from serious criticism of its domination of Publications, Editor, Report on his use of the words apartheid and colonial- its Palestinian neighbors, a policy that has Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Territories ism to describe Israeli policies in the occu- brought grief to Israelis as well as to pied territories. Yet few of his critics Palestinians. This reluctance enables Israel Nitzan Goldberger address the substance of his criticisms. to live in a bubble, freed from the con- Editorial Assistant Fewer still have acknowledged that his straints of international life. It also enables Matthew Skarzynski analysis mirrors regular criticism by Israeli its leaders to pursue policies that in today’s Intern journalists, historians, and politicians who world are considered unacceptable and are often use the terms apartheid and colonial- widely opposed by Israelis themselves as TRUSTEES ism to describe Israeli policies of settle- incompatible with Israel’s security and its ment, control, and separation in the occu- self-identity as a modern, Jewish, demo- Lucius D. Battle pied territories. For example, in 2002, cratic state. Landrum R. Bolling Michael BenYair, the attorney general of Calvin H. Cobb, Jr. Israel from 1993 to 1996, wrote that after James J. Cromwell Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands in Peter Gubser Stephen Hartwell —————— ◆ —————— Richard S.T. Marsh 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 negotiated division of historic Pales- tine. It publishes the bi- monthly Report on Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Territories. Copyright © 2007 2 ❖ Report on Israeli Settlement January-February 2007 JORDAN VALLEY SHORT TAKES New Settlement Planned for Former Gaza Settlers Jordan Valley Settlement Population, 1983–2004 Soon after the Defense Ministry has approved the building of a new section of the settlement of 2004 2000 1995 1983 Maskiyot in the northern Jordan Valley, international Almog 142 167 107 57 opposition forced the ministry to freeze the plan. Argaman 166 164 157 100 Defense Minister Amir Peretz personally signed the Bet HaArava 69 55 27 N/A building permits for 30 new residential units there, Beqa’ot 152 144 143 150 marking the first time in almost a decade that Israel Gilgal 164 180 172 118 has formally (re-)established a new settlement in the Gittit 161 100 128 113 occupied territories. The settlement was initially Hamra 125 147 146 177 established in 1981 by a paramilitary (NAHAL) unit. Hemdat 120 N/A N/A N/A According to Arutz 7, there are already “several per- Kalya 260 260 252 102 manent residents living in a handful of buildings on Ma’ale Efraim 1,456 1,480 1,296 909 the site, as well as 50 religious students who attend a Massu’a 140 148 143 160 pre-military academy there.” Mehola 360 113 252 293 The plans include the construction of 30 houses Mekhora 119 306 112 133 intended for families who were evacuated from the Netiv haGedud 132 139 149 155 Katif bloc as part of the disengagement from Gaza in Niran53566399 August 2005, 20 families from the former Gaza set- No’omi 127 121 158 23 tlement of Shirat Hayam and another 10 families Peza’el 215 224 N/A N/A from other settlements in Gaza’s Katif bloc. The con- Ro’i 115 141 141 102 struction is the first phase of an expansion that will Rotem 24* N/A N/A N/A ultimately comprise 100 residential units. Dozens of Shadmot Mehola 517 399 309 N/A families of evacuees from Gush Katif are reported to Tomer 296 308 303 153 want to come to live in the new settlement. Vered Yericho 161 164 139 151 Nadav Shragai, Ha’aretz, December 26, 2006; Yafit 101 125 87 75 Hana Levi Julian, “Peretz May Cave to International Yitav 141 114 77 37 Pressure and Nix Maskiot Housing,” Arutz 7, January Total 5,292 5,055 4,361 3,107 1, 2007; Daniel Ben Simon, Ha’aretz, January 5, 2007 ————————————— *2003 data. Sources: “List of Localities: Their Population and Codes,” 12.31.1999; 12.31.2004; “List of Localities: Geographic Characteristics, and IDF Stops 2,000 Palestinians Returning to Jordan Population, 1948–1995,” 1995.