Introduction

On October 6, 2006, the Israeli Defense Minister A'meer Peretz declared the Israeli Army is preparing to evacuate 12 settlements’ outposts after the Jewish holidays are over. This declaration made by the defense minister comes after an earlier declaration made by him on June 16, 2006 (three months ago) to evacuate what the Israeli state define as an 'illegal' outposts in the West Bank, except at that time Peretz did not specify the number of outposts to be evacuated or the time to start the evacuation process, which was pending cabinet approval. However, the decision to evacuate outposts was postponed on June 27 following the Gaza incident in June 25, 2006 and the capture of an Israeli soldier by the Palestinian resistance. See Map of settlement outposts in the West Bank

 

 

 

Evacuation or just another Manipulation? 

The current Israeli government is different from its predecessors when it comes to the declarations to dismantle Israeli outposts. In fact, to declare government intention to dismantle illegal outpost became a ritual associated with every Israeli government that rises to power. However, while the call to dismantle outpost are made, the same Israeli government would have grant permission to Israeli settlers to erect outpost at some other locations or worse gives official approval to existing ones. Moreover, the Israeli minister of justice has called to legitimize all outpost defined by the Israeli government as “illegal” and requested the government extend these outpost with technical support and sustain their existence.

 

No such thing as legal outpost

That is what Israel is trying to do all the time, to convince the world that there is such structure called legal outpost, the fact of the matter is that even the settlements has no legal status in the occupied territory as  stated by the United Nations Security Council.

 

Will Israel dismantle outposts?

Absolotly, Israel has the intention to evacuate the outposts in the West Bank, but two essential questions needed to be addressed: what outposts will be evacuated and when and to answer these questions is to simply look at the West Bank map, as one may simply identify the outposts set for future dismantle are the ones that are located between the western Segregation Wall and the eastern Segregation Zone. To answer the when question is also related to the progress made on the peace process as Israel intend to negotiate the 100+ outposts dismantle located in what is identified as Area 'C', where Israel has full and complete control.

 

A recently published  report  by an Israeli organization 'Peace Now' indicated that the total number of the Israeli settlement outposts in the West Bank is 101, and that 31 of these outposts have witnessed expansions and constructions in the period between April-August, 2006, which means that these outposts are growing contrary to the Israeli evacuation claims.

 

On the other hand Israel is adopting a double standard policy and with settlements expansion as the newly elected government (March 2006) headed by Olmert has issued tenders for 952 new housing units in Israeli settlements in the West Bank to date. (More Housing Units: New Tenders in Israeli West Bank Settlements,October 4, 2006).

 

To Conclude

According to article XXXI of the 1995 Oslo agreement, 'Neither side shall initiate or take any step that will change the status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip pending the outcome of the permanent status negotiations.

 

Israel has long tried to cast a shadow of legitimacy on the settlements build in the territory occupied in 1967 despite the fact that the international law rules and the UNSC has identified the settlements and all other Israeli civilian related activates to be illegal and void. On the other side, the consecutive Israeli governments considers the lands captured in the 1967 war to be disputed and not occupied lands and that the regulations of the Fourth Geneva Convention Accord of 1949 do not apply to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. These regulations prohibit confiscation of land for purposes other than security. In practice however, the UNSCR identified the territories captured by Israel in the 1967 war as an occupied territories.

 

Also The Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits the occupying power to transfer citizens from its own territory to the occupied territory (Article 49). prohibits the occupying power to transfer citizens from its own territory to the occupied territory (Article 49).

 

And The Hague Regulations prohibit the occupying power to undertake permanent changes in the occupied area, unless these are due to military needs in the narrow sense of the term, or unless they are undertaken for the benefit of the local population. prohibit the occupying power to undertake permanent changes in the occupied area, unless these are due to military needs in the narrow sense of the term, or unless they are undertaken for the benefit of the local population.

 Despite of the International law rules and conventions and the United Nations Security Council Resolutions that prohibit the Israeli practices, Israel insist on violating the International legitimacy, and challenging the International consensus by adopting its colonial and racist policies.

 

 

 

 

Prepared by
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem
ARIJ