The ‘Israel National News’ website published on the 22nd of February 2012 that the Israeli Civil Administration is about to give the green light for the construction of 500 new housing units in the Settlement of Shilo and another 125 new housing units in the settlement of Shevut Rahel, both located in Nablus Governorate. The two targeted settlements are located in the corridors areas which Israel seeks to control since it constitutes a geographical link between the Eastern Segregation Zone (ESZ)and the western segregation zone (WSZ). Israel is doing so by intensifying settlement construction in the Israeli settlements located in the corridors area which total to 31. Table 1 gives details of the distribution of Israeli settlements in the Israeli corridors area:-
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Table 1: the distribution of Israeli settlements in the Israeli corridors area
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No.
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No. of Israeli settlements inside the corridors
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Governorate
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Israeli Settlers Population
2009
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Area
(In Dunums) |
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1
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11
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Hebron
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12290
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7622
|
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2
|
2
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Jerusalem
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5800
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2952
|
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3
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7
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Nablus
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8923
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10690
|
|
4
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9
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Ramallah
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17442
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9487
|
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5
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2
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Salfit
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1119
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1133
|
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Total
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31
|
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45574
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31884
|
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Source: (1)The Geo-Informatics Department, ARIJ 2012
(2) The Urbanization Monitoring Department, ARIJ 2012
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Why Israel wants to keep the corridors area under its control!
In 2002, Israel announced to construct the Israeli segregation wall in the West Bank, which upon completion, will annex a total of 108 Israeli settlements and 56 settlements outposts to Israel; in addition, Israel imposed its control over the eastern area of the West Bank (the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea area) which also includes 38 Israeli settlements and 30 settlements’ outposts; accordingly, Israel is trying to impose its control over the Israeli settlements in the corridors area so that at the end, it will annex as many settlements and outposts as possible to its proper before reaching an agreement with the Palestinians and will negotiate over the evacuation of an insignificant number of Israeli settlements and settlers from the West Bank Territory. Table 2 gives details of the number of Israeli settlers in the Israeli Segregation Zones in the West Bank.
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Table 2: the number of Israeli settlers in the Israeli Segregation Zones in the West Bank.
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No.
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Area
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No. of Israeli settlements
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No. of Israeli Outposts
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Population
2009
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Percent of total settlers population in the West Bank (2009)
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Area occupied by Israeli settlements (Dunums)
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1
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Eastern Segregation Zone
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38
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30
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13583
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2.4
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38970
|
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2
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Western Segregation Zone
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106
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56
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493330
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87.4
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106528
|
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3
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The Corridors Area
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31
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96
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45574
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8.1
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31884
|
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Total
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175
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182
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552487
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97.8
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177382
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Source: (1)The Geo-Informatics Department, ARIJ 2012
(2) The Urbanization Monitoring Department, ARIJ 2012
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Table 2 shows that a total of 175 Israeli settlements will be annexed to Israel’s proper once Israel completes its colonial projects in the West Bank, 88.4% of the total number of Israeli settlements in the West Bank which totals 198. The 175 settlements are inhabited by 552487 Israeli settlers, 97.8% of the total number of Israeli settlers’ population in Israeli settlements in the West Bank (2009) which totals 564625. These settlements (the 175) occupy a total land area of 177382 dunums of Palestinian lands, 95.2% of the total area occupied by Israeli settlements in the West Bank which is 186398 dunums.
Shilo and Shevut Rahel settlements:-
1- Shilo settlement: The settlement was illegally established on lands of Jalud , Qaryut and Turmisayya villages in 1978. The settlement occupies today a total land area of 1364 dunums and is inhabited by more than 2000 Israeli settlers. See Table 3:-
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Table 3: Palestinian Villages affected by the construction of Shilo Settlement
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Percent from Total settlement area
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Area occupied by settlement from village Boundary (Dunums)
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Village Name
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No.
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20.6
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281
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Jalud
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1
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38.6
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526
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Qaryut
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2
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40.8
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557
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Turmisayya
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3
|
|
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1364
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Source: (1)The Geo-Informatics Department, ARIJ 2012
The Urbanization Monitoring Department, ARIJ 2012 |
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It is worth noting that on the 28th of November 2011, the Israeli Government ratified the construction of 119 new housing units in Shilo settlement, of which 50 were already built in the settlement and were awaiting Government’s approval.
It is worth mentioning that the phenomenon of ‘ retroactive approval’ to tens of housing units that are being built without permits in Israeli settlements in the West Bank became widely spread and this is done to legitimize the illegal Israeli settlements’ activities which are taking place in many Israeli settlements in the West Bank Territory. The Israeli government claims that the construction of housing units always requires its approval and that settlers can’t build without being given permits to do, but what is happening on the ground contradicts with what is being announced about by the Government itself. See Photo 1
Photo 1: the settlement of Shilo
2- Shevut Rahel settlement: it was established on lands of Jalud and Turmisayya village in the year 1992. The settlement today occupies a total land area of 557 and is inhabited by 530 Israeli settlers. See Table 4
| Table 4: Palestinian | |||
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Percent from total settlement area
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Area occupied by settlement from village Boundary (Dunums)
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Village Name
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No.
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88.9
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495
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Jalud
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1
|
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11.1
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62
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Turmisayya
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2
|
|
100
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557
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Total
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Source: (1)The Geo-Informatics Department, ARIJ 2012
The Urbanization Monitoring Department, ARIJ 2012
The Urbanization Monitoring Department, ARIJ 2012
Photo 2: The settlement of Shevut Rahel
To conclude
Israel is trying hard to legitimize the illegal settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territory and the Israeli segregation wall which is being illegally constructed at the expense of the Palestinian lands; On the other hand, Israel doesn’t hesitate to punish any Palestinian who builds without permit in areas classified as ‘C’ which, according to OSLO II Interim agreement of 1995, fall under the full Israeli control, security and administrative.
Israel’s colonization program violates the most important document of international humanitarian law- the Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in a Time of War (hereinafter the Convention) and the Hague Regulations of 1907 which contains specific provisions outlawing Israel’s colonization activities.
Article (49) of the Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, Geneva, issued on 12 August 1949 – Part III states that ‘ The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.’
Art. 56 of Laws and Customs of War on Land (Hague IV); October 18, 1907 states that ‘ … All seizure of, destruction or wilful damage done to institutions of this character, historic monuments, works of art and science, is forbidden, and should be made the subject of legal proceedings.’
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[1] An eastern wall has never been approved by the Israeli Government. According to late Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, there will ‘not [be] a fence being built there today, unless we need to. Here and there we will block access points to the Jordan Valley.’
[2] The Israeli Government sanctioned the construction of the Israeli Segregation wall in 2002. Accordingly, a western segregation zone was created and will encompass 107 Israeli settlements and 56 Israeli outposts within it, at the same time; it will isolate 66 Palestinian communities from the center of life in the main cities. The western segregation zone (wsz) is the area between the 1949 Armistice Line (Green Line) and the path of the wall.
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