[Construction of Jewish-only settlements is directly linked to the
dispossession of Palestinians from their land, the continued
demolition of Palestinian homes, and the growing inability for
Palestinians to access their lands. ] [[link removed]]

ISRAEL APPROVES NEARLY 5,000 NEW SETTLEMENT UNITS IN OCCUPIED WEST
BANK  
[[link removed]]


 

Yumna Patel
October 15, 2020
Mondoweiss
[[link removed]]


*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
* [[link removed]]

_ Construction of Jewish-only settlements is directly linked to the
dispossession of Palestinians from their land, the continued
demolition of Palestinian homes, and the growing inability for
Palestinians to access their lands. _

The Israeli settlement of Efrat within the Gush Etzion settlement
bloc between the Palestinian cities of Hebron and Bethlehem in the
West Bank on June 30, 2020., Mosab Shawer/APA Images

 

The Israeli government advanced plans for 4,948 new settlement units
in the occupied Palestinian territory during planning meetings on
October 14th and 15th, settlement watchdog Peace Now reported.
[[link removed]]

According to the group, the advancement of the plans by the Israeli
Civil administration, make 2020 the “highest year on record in terms
of units in settlement plans promoted since Peace Now began recording
in 2012.”

It is possible, the group noted, that the Civil Administration’s
Higher Planning Committee could convene again before the end of the
year and advance even more settlement plans.

Peace Now said that of the 4,948 units, 2,260 were approved for
deposit (the first major stage of development) and 2,688 were approved
for validation (the second and often final major stage of
development).

The group noted that all of the new units except for two were approved
in areas that Israel would have to evacuate in the case of a two-state
solution that adheres to the borders drawn in the Geneva Initiative. 
[[link removed]]

Palestinian villages under threat

Among the plans that were advanced were hundreds of illegal settler
outposts that were retroactively recognized and approved. Israeli
outposts, which unlike settlements are built without initial
government approval, are considered illegal under Israeli law itself,
but are frequently “retroactively legalized” by the government in
proceedings such as this one. 

Peace Now also noted that the plans included 560 units in the Har Gilo
settlement, which was built on the lands of al-Walaja village and lies
in the hills between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. 

The new “neighborhood” in Har Gilo, Peace Now notes, would
actually be larger than Har Gilo itself, and would effectively further
isolate al-Walaja from the surrounding village of Battir, and Battir
from Bethlehem city. 

Not only are the lands in question central to Palestinian life in the
Bethlehem area, with many residents enjoying hikes and nature trails
between Bethlehem, Battir, and al-Walaja for decades, the land also
“constitutes some of the only uninhabited fertile land reserves for
Bethlehem, which currently is cut off by the West Bank barrier to its
immediate north and west,” Peace Now says.

In our second episode
[[link removed]]of
the COVID-19 in Palestine series
[[link removed]], residents of the al-Walaja
village told _Mondoweiss_ that Israeli forces have continued their
policy of home demolitions in the village during the coronavirus
pandemic.

"The move is the first major demonstration of Defense Minister Benny
Gantz’s bowing to the ‘Greater Israel’ settlement agenda that
would in reality bring about a permanent undemocratic one-state
reality,” Peace Now said in a statement. 

“By doing so, Israel is signaling to the world its bi-partisan
support for the end to the concept of a two-state solution and a
Palestinian state – the paradigm that until now has largely shielded
Israel from formal pressure over its 53-year occupation. The
settlement enterprise is not in Israel’s national or security
interest, and is a strategic mistake at the national and international
level,” the group said. 

Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law,
and have been widely condemned by the international community as one
of the major barriers to achieving peace in the region and justice for
Palestinians. 

It is estimated that there are over 600,000 Israeli citizens living in
these illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. 

The construction of these Jewish-only settlements are directly linked
to the dispossession of Palestinians from their land, the continued
demolition of Palestinian homes, and the growing inability for
Palestinians to access their lands in and around the settlements. 

Making the most of a Trump presidency

Groups like Peace Now have noted a clear spike in the approval of new
settlement construction during the Trump Era, “when Israeli
settlement activity has dramatically increased since the US
Administration has shown less pressure on settlement expansion and
Israeli domestic politics have correspondingly pushed for more
activity.”

Analysts suggest that this week’s slate of approvals are part of a
larger effort being made by the Netanyahu government to formalize as
many settlements as they can while US President Donald Trump is in
power.

While former Vice President Joseph Biden does have a longstanding
record of pro-Israel policies, and has used his campaign to double
down on his support of Israel, it remains unclear if a Biden
administration would be as supportive of the kind of settlement
expansion that the Trump administration has celebrated.

“The Israeli government cannot count on American policy remaining
supportive of unilateral annexation or declaring that Israeli
settlements are inherently not in conflict with international law,”
wrote
[[link removed]]
Dr. Michael J. Koplow for Israel Policy Forum.

“The dynamic this is creating is that rather than shift course now
in a way designed to start on a positive note with a different
administration, the Israeli government is trying to hedge for the
possibility that we are in the final months of the Trump
administration by cramming in as much as it can under the wire,”
Koplow said.

Koplow also pointed out the fact that the new wave of approvals
feature many units in settlements “deep inside” the West Bank
“in spots that are chosen purposely for their role in disrupting any
potential Palestinian contiguity in a future state.”

Annexation back on the table

Critics have also pointed to Thursday’s slate of approvals as
officially signalling the end of the pretense that Israel had halted
its annexation plans in exchange for normalization and full diplomatic
relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The new slate of approvals is the first time new settlement homes have
been advanced since Israel signed normalization deals with the UAE and
Bahrain.

 

When the UAE announced its deal with Israel, it emphasized the fact
that as part of the agreement, Israel would be putting a stop to
annexation plans that were being touted by Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu for months, and were supposed to be announced
officially on July 1st.

The claim that the UAE was responsible for halting annexation drew
widespread criticism
[[link removed]]from
Palestinians and their supporters, who said that not only was _de
facto_ annexation already a reality in the oPt, but that Israel would
continue its policies of displacement of Palestinians into the future.

While the the construction of new settlements does not necessarily
mean that Israel will be immediately applying sovereignty over the
settlements and other swaths of the West Bank, settlement expansion is
largely viewed as a precursor to annexation.

As a direct result of these new settlement units, Palestinians’
access to their lands in places like the Bethlehem area, for example,
will be further restricted in the coming months, until the likely
event that they will be full prevented from reaching their lands in
and around the settlements.

For many Palestinians, annexation is more than just the official
recognition of Israeli sovereignty over parts of the oPt, but rather
the continued dispossession of Palestinians from their land, through
settlement expansion, home demolitions, and land confiscations.

Israel’s decision to advance plans for new settlement units, just
weeks after signing these latest normalization deals, signal for many
an end to the false pretense that annexation was on hold, and the
ushering in of a reality that many states in the Middle East region
will continue to make normalization deals with Israel, with or without
the approval of Palestinians. 

_Yumna Patel is a multimedia freelance journalist based in Bethlehem,
Palestine. _

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
* [[link removed]]

 

 

 

INTERPRET THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT

 

 

Submit via web [[link removed]]
Submit via email
Frequently asked questions [[link removed]]
Manage subscription [[link removed]]
Visit xxxxxx.org [[link removed]]

Twitter [[link removed]]

Facebook [[link removed]]

 




[link removed]

To unsubscribe, click the following link:
[link removed]