A U S 1 )e Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) brings internationals to the West Bank to experience life under occupation. Ecumenical Accompaniers (EAs) provide protective presence to vulnerable communities, monitor and report human rights abuses and support Palestinians and Israelis working together for peace. When they return home, EAs campaign for a just and peaceful resolution to the Israeli/ Palestinian conflict through an end to the occupation, respect for international law and implementation of UN resolutions. Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) www.eappi.org )e EAPPI is a World Council of Churches programme Published by: EAPPI Editors: Nader Muaddi, Kimberly Meinecke, Gearóid Fitzgibbon, Michael Barnes, Karen Chalk Printer: Emerezian Est. [email protected] ISBN 978-2-8254-1552-8 September 2010 2 A U S )e Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) 3 F by Manuel Quintero EAPPI International Programme Coordinator From “living with them” to dispossession: a tale of Israeli settlements )e image of settlers - at least in some parts heeded the Pope’s call, and Indians continued of the world - has been greatly magnified by being treated as animals and deprived of their Hollywood films. In Hollywood’s characteristic livelihood for a long time. Resistance to colonial Manichean perspective of villains and heroes, oppression and exploitation was met with harsh settlers were the good guys who brought and exemplary repression: in Chile, the leader of civilization to the backward, dark-skinned the Mapuche people, Caupolican, was impaled; savage natives. Real history shows a very in India, sepoys were tied to the muzzles of different picture. European powers assumed cannon and then blown from guns. that the supreme goal of advancing civilization justified any means; consequently, aboriginal In 1934, facing Gandhi’s criticism to the idea of peoples in many regions were the targets of establishing a Jewish state in Palestine, Martin systematic cultural genocides. Everywhere Buber acknowledged the fundamental obstacle in Africa, Asia, Australia and America, that represented the antagonistic and vital claims indigenous populations were decimated or of two peoples to the same land. But he did not totally annihilated. Subjugated by military and see the solution in prevailing the will of one on cultural means, their languages, traditions and the other. “We considered and still consider it religions were destroyed to make space for the our duty to understand and to honor the claim settlers and their “civilizatory” endeavor. )e which is opposed to ours and to endeavor to history of colonization is full of acts of barbarity reconcile both claims. We have been and still committed by the “civilized” settlers against are convinced that it must be possible to find the “barbarian” natives. Besides methodical some form of agreement between this claim killings and massacres, settlers did their best and the other… We have no desire to dispossess to undermine or wreck natives’ economy and them: we want to live with them. We do not lower their self-esteem and dignity. want to dominate them: we want to serve with them…”[2] Western colonialism meant suffering and dehumanization for aboriginal peoples, whose Regrettably, Buber’s vision never materialized very humanity was at times unashamedly and other Zionist leaders saw the establishing of denied. During the conquest and colonization a Jewish State as “the rampart of Europe against of the so-called New World, reputed theologians Asia, an outpost of civilization as opposed to discussed whether Amerindians were animals barbarism.”[3] )eir teachings contributed to or have a human soul. )e controversy went establishment of an Israel that would have a on until Pope Paul III issued the bull Sublimus settler-colonial society driven by the needs of Dei in 1537 stating that “the Indians were territorial acquisition, an impulse that brought human beings and they were not to be robbed about a forced occupation of territories that of their freedom or possessions”.[1] Only a few had historically been inhabited by Palestinians 4 - an occupation and subsequent colonization end to the occupation unachievable,” concludes ideologically and religiously legitimized by the report. An inescapable connection between Israel’s foundational myth of the Promised settlements and peace that has been captured Land. )ereafter, successive Israeli governments in World Council of Churches’ position on have systematically worked to create a de facto this issue: Settlements are illegal, as is their situation whereby the appropriated land will expansion; they are prohibited by the Fourth remain under Israeli control after an agreement Geneva Convention and incompatible with is reached by enticing settlers through such peace. incentives as low-cost, quality housing, free education, lower taxes and a variety of subsidies )e need to end the occupation and the and grants. settlement policy was recently recognized in an editorial by Israeli newspaper Haaretz: “the need )is report, whose main core is a collection of to disengage from the stigma of the ‘occupation perceptive analysis produced by Ecumenical state’ is already seen by many, even within the Accompaniers in situ, eloquently describes what ranks of the realistic right, not as a luxury but as colonization has meant for the Palestinians: an emergency lifesaving operation. We can only confiscation of land and water resources, home hope that it’s not too late to wish that Israel, demolitions and evictions, harassment and dynamic and vibrant, will once again extend its violence, vandalism and incitement, restriction wings fully within the family of nations.”[4] of movement and access. Israel’s settlement policy continues strangling the Palestinian economy and making the Palestinian people more dependent on foreign aid. With this booklet, the WCC Ecumenical [1] Nonetheless, theologian and philosopher Juan Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Gines de Sepulveda still argued that Indians were barbarians and idolaters and slaves by Israel (EAPPI) contributes to give a human nature in his Democrates alter. De justis belli face to the plight of the Palestinian people by causis apud indios (1547). telling the individual stories of Mahmoud, [2] Martin Buber’s Open Letter to Gandhi Salem, Hamza, Eid, Salim and other strong- Regarding Palestine, February 24, 1939, willed people. But let us not forget that their www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/ stories are the stories of millions who live under buber1.html occupation in the West Bank. [3] )eodor Herzl, )e Jewish State, www. jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Zionism/ “Israeli settlements are in direct contradiction of herzl2b.html the two-state solution, which makes a peaceful [4] Haaretz Editorial, September 8, 2010. 5 6 T C I. Introduction 8 II. Conceptualization of Israeli Settlements & Settlers 11 III. Case Studies of Settlements’ Effects on Palestinian People in the West Bank 12 o Confiscation of Land & Water Resources o Home Demolitions & Evictions o Harassment & Violence o Vandalism & Incitement o Israeli & Palestinian Perspectives IV. Conclusions & Recommendations 100 7 I. I After the Six Day War in June 1967, Israel and Samaria.” )ese plans, added a Jewish- occupied the West Bank (including East nationalistic and religious ideology to the Jerusalem) in addition to other Arab territories. settlement movement. )e government’s goal A debate immediately ensued about what Israel was to settle 80,000 Israelis in the West Bank should do with the newly conquered territories. before 1986; yet, from 1988-1992, this number Two main wings developed those who wanted increased by 60% - mainly due to the expansion to return the occupied territories to their of already existing settlements. rightful owners as soon as possible and those who wished to maintain control of the areas for According to the Oslo Accords, “Neither side either religious or strategic military reasons. shall initiate or take any steps that will change the status of the West Bank and the Gaza )e initial government stance was to hold Strip pending the outcome of the permanent the territories as bargaining chips for further status negotiations”. )e Rabin Government negotiations. Israel opposed plans to establish promised not to establish new settlements, and civilian settlements in the West Bank. However, to halt the expansion of existing settlements, due to pressure from within the government with the exception of construction for “natural and various interest groups, the first settlement, growth” – a vague term, used by all Israeli Kfar Etzion, was established in September governments since 1993, which has proven to 1967. Yigal Allon, the head of the Ministerial include migration to settlements in addition Committee on Settlements, emphasized that this to the growth of existing populations. )us, was necessary for security reasons. He stressed settlement population growth continued even the need of a “Jewish presence” in the West after the Oslo Agreement. Bank, and advocated for the establishment of Israeli settlements. In the period 1967-1977, 30 After the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa Intifada in settlements (inhabited by about 4,500 settlers) 2000, it seemed that former peace initiatives were established in areas of the West Bank that had failed, and Israel claimed that there was no were to be annexed by Israel according to the longer a Palestinian partner for peace. As a result, Allon Plan. a unilateral approach was taken. In late 2003, then Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon announced )e Likud party came into power in 1977. the withdrawal from all 21 settlements in )eir settlement policy was based on the Gaza, and from 4 settlements in the northern Sharon Plan and Drobless Plan. )en Minister West Bank. )is strategic retreat was known as of Agriculture, Ariel Sharon, called for settling the Disengagement Plan. It was implemented the West Bank in an effort to annex Palestinian in August-September 2005. )e move was populated areas, which he thought were of meant to allow Israel to save resources that strategic importance and are on Biblical, Judea were being used on settlements that were not and Samaria.