MA’AN DEVELOPMENT CENTER APARTHEID ROADS: PROMOTING SETTLEMENTS, PUNISHING PALESTINIANS December 2008 Contents BACKGROUND 1 WHAT ARE APARTHEID ROADS? 2 Israeli-only Roads and Apartheid 3 The Infrastructure of Occupation 3 WHERE ARE THE APARTHEID ROADS? 6 Main Israeli-only Roads 6 Palestinian-only Roads 11 Israeli Apartheid: A Work in Progress 13 IMPACTS AND CONSEQUENCES 16 Territorial Fragmentation (Northern, Central and 17 Southern Cantons, Seamzone and Jordan Valley) Growing Impoverishment 41 Humanitarian Impacts (Land Confiscation, Denied 41 Access to Essential Services, Lack of Freedom of Movement and Forced Displacement) BACKGROUND Today Israeli-only roads across the West Bank have become a defining feature of the apartheid policies implemented by Israel in the Palestinian territories. In addition to violating Palestinians’ freedom of movement and access, with serious repercussions for health, education and livelihoods, the apartheid roads have consolidated and strengthened the presence of Israeli colonies across the West Bank, ensuring superior access for settlers at the expense of ‘The term ‘the crime of the indigenous Palestinians. The consequences apartheid’, shall apply to... include an inability to access core services and Any measures including increased forced displacement pressures for legislative measures, Palestinians. designed to divide the The impact of the apartheid roads, however, population along racial extends beyond their humanitarian lines by the creation of consequences as they destroy both the economic separate reserves and and political prospects of the Palestinian people. The territorial fragmentation created by the ghettos for the members of roads is according to UN OCHA, ‘at the root of a racial group or groups... the West Bank’s declining economy,’2 while their the expropriation of landed continued construction is making a just solution property belonging to a to the illegal occupation increasingly difficult to envisage. In fact, although Israel’s occupation racial group or groups or policies have led to analogies being drawn to members thereof…’ with South African apartheid, as a number of International Convention on the commentators have noted, the presence of these Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid Article 2 part 41 roads represents a situation much worse than the apartheid in South Africa; “When Israel...connects the 200-or-so settlements with each other, with a road, and then prohibits the Palestinians from using that road, or in many cases even crossing the road, this perpetrates even worse instances of apartness, or apartheid, than we witnessed even in South Africa.” Former US President Jimmy Carter3 1 The Palestinian-only road constructed by Israel between the Biddu and Bir Nabala sub-cantons WHAT ARE APARTHEID ROADS ? network of roads that are primarily ‘A for Israeli use and which connect Israeli settlements and other infrastructure to each other and to Israel. Palestinian vehicular access into these roads is either restricted or prevented and ultimately diverted. Consequently, these roads have become barriers.’ Source: U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs CAP 2008 2 WHAT ARE APARTHEID ROADS Apartheid roads have facilitated the confiscation of huge swathes of Palestinian land. Each Israeli- only road has a 50–75m buffer zone on each side, where no construction is allowed. As a result, for Israeli-Only Roads and Apartheid each 100 km of road about 2,500 acres of West Bank land is confiscated7. partheid has been defined as, ‘Any legislative measures and other measures Palestinian traffic is prevented or restricted from Acalculated to prevent a racial group or accessing this road network through a variety of groups from participation in the political, social, means; economic and cultural life of the country and • A lack of exit and entry points from the deliberate creation of conditions preventing Palestinian communities onto these roads the full development of such a group or groups, and highways; in particular by denying to members of a • Physical obstacles such as fences, gates, racial group or groups basic human rights and cement blocks, dirt mounds, earth walls freedoms, including the right to work,...the right and trenches blocking existing road access to education, the right to leave and to return to from Palestinian communities; their country, the right to a nationality, the right • 4 Permanent and “flying” checkpoints that to freedom of movement and residence...’ . stop and control Palestinian car access; • Military orders forbidding Palestinians Particular attention has been drawn to the from being on the roads or in the area.8 analogies with the crime of apartheid by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human Roads Primarily for Israeli Use rights situation in the Palestinian territories who in January 2007 noted that, ‘the 1973 Type Length (km) International Convention on the Suppression and Main 401 Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid appears to be violated by many practices, particularly those Regional 466 denying freedom of movement to Palestinians.’5 Local 464 Outpost roads 200 Military roads 130 The Infrastructure of the Total 1,661 Occupation Source: “The Humanitarian Impact on Palestinians of Israeli Settlements and Other Infrastructure in the West Bank” OCHA July 2007 he history of apartheid roads must be traced back to the beginning of the 1967 Approximately 41,525 acres of Palestinian land occupation when, Palestinian land and the T has been confiscated in order to sustain the 1,661 infrastructure built on it fell under Israeli control. km of Israeli roads9. This included the network of main roads linking major urban centres and upon which Palestinian freedom of movement and access depended in significant part.6 Over the years these existing main roads have been enlarged and their routes changed in order to connect Israeli settlements and other infrastructure to each other and to Israel. The apartheid road scheme was advanced during the years of the Oslo peace process (1993- 2000) when even more Palestinian land was confiscated during the construction of new highways for settlers and roads that bypassed and surrounded Palestinian communities. camouflaged walls along Israeli-only road 443 3 Chapter Two Roads primarily for Israeli use Map of Israeli-only Roads Israeli presence in the West Bank Settlement outer limits Settlement industrial areas outer limits Outpost outer limits Land cultivated by Israelis ISRAELISRAEL Military bases and closed military areas Israeli declared nature reserves West Bank Actual / projected areas west of West Bank the Barrier Roads primarily for Israeli use 0.4 % 38.2 % JORDAN JORDAN Type of roads primarily for Israeli use Type Length in km Main 401 No Man's Regional 466 Land Local 464 Mount Outpost roads 200 Scopus Jerusalem Military road 130 municipality Total 1,661 ISRAELISRAEL Source: OCHA Israeli presence in the West Bank geo-database. For more details see Annex 2. WestWest Roads for primarily Israeli use Source: BankBank Main & Regional The HumanitarianMilitary road Impact on Palestinians Dead Local of IsraeliOutpost Settlements road Sea and Other Settlement, settlement industrial areas and outpost outer limits Infrastructure in the West Bank rmistice lines (Green Line) Land cultivated by Israelis, military bases, closed military areas, Israeli declared- nature OCHA reserves - July 2007 1949 A and actual / projected areas west of the Barrier 0 5 10 Palestinian designated nature reserve Kilometers 4 Source: see Annex 2 and 3. 59 Chapter Two Location of the closures Location of the West Bank Closures ! ! ! ! !! !! !! ISRAELISRAEL ! D ! WestWest Bank Bank ! ! ! ! DD DD DD DD DD ! DDDDDDDDDD ! !! ! !D D ! D ! D D D D ! D D DD DD ! ! DD DD ! ! D D ! ! DD D DD ! D D D ! D ! ! D ! ! D ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !DD ! DD DD DDDD DD D DD D ! D ! DD ! D ! ! D ! D ! !!! D ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !DD ! DD ! ! ! ! ! DD DD DD DD DD DD DD DD DD DD DD DD DDDD DDDDDDDDDDDDDD DD DD DD DD DD DD ! DD DDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDDD ! ! DDDDDDDD DD DD DDDD ! DD DD !!DD!! DDDD !! DD DD DD ! ! ! DD DDDD ! DD ! DD DD ! ! DD DD DD DD DD DD DD DD DD ! DD ! DD DD ! ! ! ! DD DDDD ! ! ! DD ! ! DD DD DDDDDD ! DD DDDD ! DD ! DD ! DD DD DD ! ! ! ! !!! DD DDDDDDDD ! ! DDDDDDDD ! ! ! ! ! !DD ! !DD ! !DD !! !DD !! D ! DD! ! DD ! ! !D ! ! ! ! ! ! D ! ! DD ! ! ! DD ! ! ! ! JORDAN ! JORDAN ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !! ! !!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! DD DD DD DD DD ! DD !!! DD ! !! DD ! DD ! DD DD ! DD ! DD DD DD DD ! DD DD DD DD !DD DD ! ! ! DD ! DD DDDD ! ! DDDD ! DD DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD ! No Man's DD DDDD DDDD DDDD ! !DDDDDDDDDD DDDDDD ! ! DDDDDD DDDDDD DDDDDDDDDD DDDDDD DDDDDD ! DD DD DD Land !DD DD ! ! !! DD DD !! ! DD ! !DD DD DD ! DD DD DD ! DD DD ! DD DD ! ! DD DD ! DD DD DD DD DD DD DD DD DD DD DD ! DD ! DD DD ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !DD ! !DD !DD Mount DD DD DD DD DD DD DD ! DD ! DD ! Scopus ! Jerusalem ! municipality ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Closures ISRAELISRAEL ! !! ! ! !! DD DD DDDD DD DD DD DD ! ! DD DD !! ! !DD !! Checkpoints, Trench DD DD Earthmounds, !! ! DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD ! Road barrier ! ! ! ! Road Gates ! ! ! Roadblocks DDDDDDDDDDDD Earthwall ! ! !DDDD DD!! Settlement, settlement industrial areas and !!DD ! outpost outer limits ! !! ! Land cultivated by Israelis, military bases, ! ! ! ! closed military areas, Israeli declared nature !!! ! !!!!!!!!!!!! !!! !! !! ! ! reserves, actual/projected areas west of the ! ! Barrier and roads for primarily Israeli use ! WestWest Bank Bank ! !!!!! ! D !!!D !!! ! !!!! Source: ! !!!!!!!! !! !! Palestinian