REPORT ON ISRAELI SETTLEMENT IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES A Bimonthly Publication of the Foundation for Middle East Peace Volume 14 Number 1 January–February 2004 SHARON’S ENDURING AGENDA: CONSOLIDATE TERRITORIAL CONTROL, MANAGE THE CONFLICT Ariel Sharon, prime minister of those areas under its nominal control— es. If anything is new at all in Sharon’s Israel, stands unchallenged as the archi- survive only as shadows of their abbrevi- call for disengagement it is the complete tect of Israeli policy in the occupied ter- ated existence. And Yasser Arafat, the absence of concern for the character of ritories. No foreign leader has chal- only Palestinian leader capable of mak- the Palestinian state he intends to lenged him effectively. No plan exists ing and enforcing a peace agreement impose. Israel has conditioned much of able to thwart his intentions. No Pale- with Israel, has been declared persona its diplomacy during the Sharon era on stinian or Arab antagonist has demon- non grata by Israel and the United an extensive list of internal political and strated a capability of imposing a con- States. security requirements to be fulfilled by trary vision or agenda, and in Israel no Sharon’s plan for “disengagement” the Palestinian Authority, requirements effective political challenger has yet now unfolding in East Jerusalem, the that were adopted at face value by the appeared with a platform that questions West Bank and Gaza Strip, illuminates Quartet and feature prominently in the his legacy. not only what is transpiring today but road map. Sharon has succeeded in turning the also what he intends to establish in the Managing, Not Solving, the Problem geopolitical map of the occupied territo- months and years ahead. Not since the ries to his advantage to a degree he early days of Israeli rule in the occupied Sharon is under no illusion that the could not have imagined when he as- territories has an Israeli leader been able implementation of his vision will in sumed the premiership in February to play such a dominant role in estab- itself end the conflict that has been a 2001. The basic instruments of the Oslo lishing the foundations that Sharon central feature in the lives of both peo- era—the Palestinian Authority and believes will consolidate permanent ples for almost a century. This is a luxu- Israeli rule over these areas. ry he does not allow himself. The map that Sharon is tirelessly The stage upon which Sharon per- fashioning out of stone and concrete in forms has never been hospitable to solu- Check out our web site for the occupied territories demonstrates far tions aimed at ending the conflict recent articles, reports, and more clearly than any speech the between Israelis and Palestinians. pictures: www.fmep.org. breathtaking, if fanciful vision still driv- Rather it has been shaped by a dynamic ing Israeli policy. Building upon the cycle of Israeli rule and Palestinian Also in this issue: pattern of settlements that Sharon has resistance that has characterized the been constructing for almost three occupied territories since Israel’s 1967 Settlement Updates 3, 5 decades, Israel intends to preserve the conquest. Sharon has failed to “sear Settlement Time Line territorial advantages of its 1967 victory [defeat] into Palestinian consciousness”, (September-October 2003) 4–5 by maintaining direct, permanent con- the standard set by his chief of staff for Gaza Settlements Population 8 trol over half of the West Bank and per- Israeli policy toward the ongoing Pale- haps 20 percent of Gaza. Because of stinian rebellion. He has not removed ——— ◆ ——— demographic concerns, Sharon prefers Yasser Arafat as symbol or statesman, that the burden of ruling 3 million nor has he been able to protect Israelis Arabic and Hebrew translations of Palestinians be imposed upon a Pale- from Palestinian terror. Continuing recent Settlement Reports can be viewed at www.fmep.org. stinian state in those parts of the West Palestinian resilience in the face of the Bank and Gaza that Israel does not desire for security or settlement purpos- SHARON, continued on page 6 TO OUR READERS FOUNDATION FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE Theodore Herzl, the founder of modern His distorted belief in Herzl’s “where there Zionism, said in support of a Jewish state, is a will there is a way” is building what Merle Thorpe, Jr. “If you will it, it is no fable.” Herzl’s exhor- Israeli Knesset member Avram Burg calls Founder tation helped inspire the popular move- “a scaffolding of corruption . on founda- (1917–1994) ment that created Israel in 1948. But this tions of oppression and injustice.” In 1980, triumph for the Jewish people after their the Israeli historian Jacob Talmon warned Philip C. Wilcox, Jr. sad history and the Holocaust was a that Israel’s attempt to subjugate the President tragedy for the Palestinians who bore no Palestinians was “a distorted imperialist Geoffrey Aronson historic responsibility for Jewish suffering. formulation of nationalism that had Director, Research and Publica- The conflict between these two victims of brought many nations to grief.” Calling this tions, Editor, Report on Israeli history therefore has profound moral com- effort a “time bomb,” he said “Let us not Settlement in the Occupied Territories plexity. It commands respect and empathy compel the Arabs to feel that they have for both peoples, and it demands a far more been humiliated until they believe that Mallika Good urgent effort to rescue peace and justice. hope is gone and they must die for Editorial Assistant Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, far Palestine.” Sharon’s blinkered vision, which Arif Ahmed from seeking peace and reconciliation with Jeff Aronson aptly calls “fantastic and ill- Intern the Palestinians, is determined to defeat fated,” ignores Talmon’s prophetic words. their quest for a genuine state by preserving ADVISERS most Jewish settlements and confining the Lucius D. Battle Palestinians into half of the occupied terri- Landrum R. Bolling tories behind concrete and steel barriers. Peter Gubser Jean C. Newsom —————— ◆ —————— Gail Pressberg Nicholas A. Veliotes TRUSTEES Peter M. Castleman Chairman Lucius D. Battle Calvin H. Cobb, Jr. James J. Cromwell Stephen Hartwell Richard S.T. Marsh Richard W. Murphy William B. Quandt Sally S. Thorpe 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 © 2004 Ma’ariv, November 24, 2003 2 ❖ Report on Israeli Settlement January-February 2004 SHORT TAKES Israel Proposes Solution to Settlement Exports Dispute terized as a penalty for Israeli settlement-related construction in the occupied territories. In September 2003, Washington Bowing to pressure from its export industries, Israel has made available $1.1 billion. Only $750 million of this guaran- proposed that it will specify the place of origin of exports to tee authority was used when the first tranche of bonds were the EU in an effort to end a long-running dispute with the sold in late 2003, due to improving economic conditions in EU over the duty-free export of goods produced in settle- Israel. Israel may redeem unused U.S. guarantees for three ments. The new policy is aimed at distinguishing settlement years. products from other exports produced in Israel that are cov- ered under the free trade agreement with the EU. In recent ————————————— months, European importers of all Israeli goods have been faced with the prospect of paying a 7 percent customs duty The Olive Harvest because of a lack of clarity regarding their origin. Israel’s This year’s olive harvest was marked by increasing coordi- exports to the EU are valued at $7.5 billion annually, includ- nation between Palestinian landowners and the IDF in order ing $150 million originating in West Bank and Gaza Strip to safeguard harvesters from Israeli settlers. This dependence settlements. by Palestinians upon the IDF to permit harvesting brings Ma’ariv, December 5, 2003 yet another aspect of Palestinian life under growing Israeli ————————————— control. Arutz 7 reports that, “Rabbi Elyakim Levanon of Elon The Settlers Also Have a Plan Moreh said Arabs harvesting their olives in proximity to Jewish communities definitely should not be enabled, but the Israel’s settlers are devising a political alternative to govern- question is who must stop them. ‘It’s obvious that not every ment and opposition ideas that rests upon the following individual is permitted to make these decisions on his own. geostrategic principles: no Palestinian state west of the Jordan The general guidelines are that in a perimeter of 300 meters River, no division of sovereignty in Jerusalem, no Palestinian around each community, Arabs are simply not allowed to return to Israel. enter. If they do so, it becomes a matter of immediate self- One YESHA proposal for the occupied territories rejects defense, and in such a case, individuals are allowed to take concessions on “any part of land, settlement, or outpost.” action. They may even take action against the property—i.e., Palestinians will remain under Israel’s complete security con- olive trees—of those who endanger them in this way.’” trol, but Israel will not be responsible for their civic affairs. In Arutz Sheva News Service, place of a Palestinian state, which the settlers oppose, a plan November 10, 2003 promoted by former MK Hanan Porat proposes an interna- tionally supported campaign of emigration. Those choosing to ————————————— remain will be classified as “residents” with either Jordanian or Egyptian citizenship. Golan Update Veteran settler leader Israel Harel proposes ensuring An increase in the settler population of 17,000 in the Israel’s Jewish political majority by withdrawing Israeli citi- Golan Heights will be fueled by 1,500 approved units, half of zenship from the state’s Palestinian citizens.