Following the 1967 war, Israel initiated its settlement program in the occupied Palestinian territories in spite of the fact that such program constituted a major violation to the international law, the UN Security Council Resolutions and the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949. The consecutive Israeli governments sponsored the Israeli settlements, which later on became epidemic and major obstacles to achieve real peace as they emphasized the Israeli occupation in the occupied Palestinian territories.

 

One of the earliest established Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank territory was Kfar Etzion (1967) which is located some 20 kilometers from Jerusalem and 10 kilometers southwest of Bethlehem district. The settlement became the center of of Israeli settlements known today as the Etzion Bloc''. This bloc consists of 12 settlements built on confiscated Palestinian lands and spreads nearly over the entire western rural area of Bethlehem district.

 

 

Settlers of those settlement communities along with the Israeli Army denied Palestinian residents and owners of the land the right to expand or utilize these land. Furthermore, the Israeli settlements encircle the tri-city area (Bethlehem, Beit Jala & Beit Sahour), restrict its expansion, and cut it off from the surrounding rural Palestinian communities. Moreover, the Israeli built bypass roads in the area contributed in reshaping the topography of Bethlehem western rural area to befit the Israeli land grab in order to control the lands and define its new boundaries, and thus create facts on the ground, which may very much alter the outcome of any possible future peace negotiation.

Etzion Bloc of settlements

 

 

Table 1: Israeli settlements included within the Gush Etzion Bloc. 

Name	Population	Date Founded	Type
Alon Shevut	3,100	1970	Religious village
Bat Ayin	685	1989	Religious
Betar Illit	25000	1990	Haredi-Urban
Efrat	7,000	1980	Religious-Urban
Elazar	1518	1975	Religious
Gev'ot	75	1984	Urban + Nahal (Military Base)
Hadar Betar	110	1978	Religious Kibbutz
Kfar Etzion	463	1967	Religious Kibbutz
Migdal Oz	280	1977	Religious Kibbutz
Neve Daniel	1122	1982	Religious
Rosh Tzurim	321	1969	Religious Kibbutz
Kfar Etzion- Nahal	100	1967	Military Base
TOTAL	39,774

 

Gush Etzion Bloc & the Segregation Wall

The fact that the Israeli (under construction) Segregation Wall acts as a climax achievement of the elongated Israeli settlement activities in the occupied West Bank; as it wrap-up 37 years of Israeli illegal activities within it; to be annexed to Israel.

 

The Gush Etzion Bloc is one of five Israeli settlement Blocs (Qiryat Arba, Gush Etzion, Ma'ale Adumim, Modi'in & Ariel) located in the occupied West Bank that the Israeli government declared its decision to maintain them under its jurisdiction. This Israeli insistence will constitute a dilemma to the fulfillment of any foreseen Peace process between the Palestinians & the Israelis; particularly as the existence of these settlement blocs was endorsed on several occasions (although not officially) by the United States government (Bush Administration; 2000-2004).

 

 

 

 

 

The 12 Israeli settlement communities located within the Gush Etzion settlements bloc are growing towards each other by expanding their built-up area and constructing a network of bypass roads among these 12 settlement communities. Expansions in some of the Israeli settlements in Gush Etzion bloc were more explicit than other settlements; See photo 1

 

 

Betar Illit and Efrat settlements are those settlements in the Etzion Bloc among which carry out constant expansion to their built-up area. The correlation of the Gush Etzion settlements will cut off the five Palestinian rural communities in that area (Battier, Husan, Nahhalin, Wad Fukin & Al-Jab'a) from each other and from the main centers of Bethlehem district. See photos of expansion

 

 

 

Photo 2 & Photo 3: Expansion at Betar Illit settlement

Table 2: the expansion rate of Israeli settlements in the Etzion Bloc (All of religious type) between 1996 & 2003.

 

NAME	DATE	DIST.	AREA 1996	AREA 2001	Area 2003	Expansion 96/2003	%
Gavaot	1984	Beit lehem	59	90	90	31	53%
Hadar Betar	1978	Beit lehem	36	73	73	37	103%
Elazar	1975	Beit lehem	271	343	420	149	55%
Allon Shevut	1971	Beit lehem	570	719	1500	930	163%
Neve Daniyyel	1982	Beit lehem	157	549	549	392	250%
Rosh Zurim	1969	Beit lehem	399	930	930	531	133%
Efrat	1979	Beit lehem	832	942	2133	1301	156%
Kfar Etzion	1967	Hebron	629	902	902	273	43%
Betar Illit	1989	Beit lehem	1389	3201	4188	2799	202%
Migdal Oz	1977	Hebron	461	948	948	487	106%
Bet Ain  (Tsoref)	1989	Hebron	337	723	723	386	115%
TOTAL			5140	9420	12456	7316	142%

 

Betar Illit Expansion

 

 

 

Palestinian Communities Trapped Within the Segregation Wall & the Gush Etzion Bloc

The five Palestinian villages that constitute the southwestern rural community of Bethlehem district are Battier, Nahhalin, Husan, Wad-Fukin and Jab'a. These Palestinian villages are facing a double jeopardy because of the Israeli Segregation Wall that will cut these villages off from the main urban center of the district and thus lose all access to public services. Likewise, these five communities are dependent on each other for a network of services that will no longer be feasible, as the Segregation Wall will isolate these villages from each other like scattered islands encircled by fences and cement blocks. The Segregation Wall will also cut these communities off from their natural resources; natural springs, irrigation wells, cultivated lands, area of territorial expansion, etc.

 

The following table shows the targeted western rural villages of Bethlehem district and area confiscated over years of Israeli occupation.

 

Village Name	Total Village Area	Israeli Bypass Roads1	Israeli Settlement2	Area isolated by the Segregation Wall3	%1+2+3 of total village area
Battir	7165	150	0	1470	23
Husan	7295	600	3500	560	64
Nahhalin	17250	975	3000	10025	81
Jab'a	7120	600	700	5820	98
Wadi Fukin	4347	0	800	2400	74
Total	43176	2425	8000	20275	71

 

The Israeli practices have dramatically affected the agricultural sector, which represents the backbone of the Palestinian economy. In the case of Bethlehem, the western rural villages used to represent the district's food-basket until the Israeli Army coarsely confiscated considerable parts of these villages; allegedly for ''Military Use''.

 

Furthermore, the Israeli Segregation Wall along with the Israeli illegal measures, over 37 years of occupation signify an Israeli persistence to disparage the international law and the United Nations Security Council resolutions that recognize Israel as an occupying power in the Palestinian territories (captured after the 1967 war). The Israeli settlements, bypass roads, houses demolition, collective punishment are merely examples of Israeli violations over 37 years of occupation which call for a firm stand by the international community to put and end to the Israeli practices  in the occupied Palestinian territories.   

 

 

 

 

Prepared by:
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem