The Obstacles to Peace Just Got Bigger !!! Why Puff up the Israeli Settlements Now ?

At the time that Israel is mutating the West Bank borders with its so-called ''security wall'' better known to the world as the ''Segregation Wall'', it commits all sorts of breaching of international laws and peace treaties signed with their Palestinian encounters and the US ''Road Map'' initiative which all require Israel to freeze all settlement related activities on occupied Palestinian lands. The Israeli settlements issue stands as an obstacle against any tangible progress with the peace process; in fact, it maybe considered as a major obstruction to ever achieving long lasting peace.

Following the International Court of Justice (ICJ) milestone decision that adjudicated Israel Segregation Wall as an illegal act committed by an occupying force against Palestinians in occupied territories, Israel retorted by labeling the judges of the court to be anti-Semitic in addition to the 150+ countries in the United Nations that voted in favor of the (ICJ) decision to condemn Israel Segregation Wall in the occupied Palestinian territories. However, Israel has used its staged retort in a foolish attempt to pass on decisions to build several hundreds housing units in its illegal settlements and even worse to build a new settlement.

During the month of August 2004, the government of Israel announced its intentions to construct a new Israeli settlement located in the area between the Israeli settlement ''Ma'ale Adumim'' and Jerusalem on the confiscated lands that belong to the Palestinian village Al-Essawyieh. Click to see an Ariel photo of Ma'ale Adumim settlement.

The new settlement is part of the long dragged Israeli scheme launched approximately 10 years ago ''E1'' plan which intends to expropriate approximately 12,500 dunums of Palestinian lands that belong to Palestinian residents of several villages; Al-Tur, 'Anata, El-Eizaryieh, and Abu Dis, Al-Essawyieh & Hizma. The ''E1'' plan aim to circulate the eastern parts of Jerusalem city with Jewish dominated neighborhoods, creating consequently an Israeli dominate population within east Jerusalem and eliminating any possible expansion of Palestinian towns' territorial grounds.

The decision of the new neighborhood exemplifies the apathy of the Israeli State toward the will of the international community and its contempt of the ICJ ruling. The projected Israeli settlement is just another segment of the Israeli plan to turn Palestinian towns & villages in Jerusalem into enclaves and isolated residential centers; thus eliminating all chances of realizing a State Capital for the anticipated Palestinian State. The fact that the State of Israel stands in-defiance of the peace treaties and initiatives which call for total freeze of settlement activities in the occupied territories following the 1967 war indicates nothing but Israel's intentions to continue with its long adopted policy of creating facts on the ground to make any future compromises on its side practically impossible to be realized.

The Segregation Wall exemplify a crowning achievement of the long term settlement policy in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) as it intends to encompass several settlement blocs within it; towards Israel that is; excluding in the process many Palestinian communities which will be most noteworthy in east Jerusalem area where the demographic alteration is most likely to favor Jewish dominance over the diminishing Palestinian population which is already 35%. 

The Israeli plan to puff-up settlements in the OPT include areas other than that within Jerusalem district but other Israeli settlements' blocs in the West Bank such as Qiryat Arba' in Hebron, Gush Etzion in Bethlehem, Giva't Beyamin (Adam) northeast Jerusalem, Karni Shamron in Qalqilyia & Ariel to the north of Salfit; thus coinciding those large Israeli settlement (strategic) blocs to remain under the Israeli control regardless of any foreseeable peace treaty with the Palestinians.

During the time of his rule, the Israeli Prime Minister (PM) illustrated and adopted strong-willed immigration & absorption campaigns of Jews living in different parts of the world; among which and the latest are the French Jews. The campaign intends to absorb 3000+ immigrants from France out of the 600 thousand living in France as an initial step. The Israeli government plans to locate the projected French immigrants at high profiled Israeli settlements in the OPT such as Ma'ale Adumim, Ariel, Gush Etzion bloc and the newly declared as a private initiative settlement by the illegal Israeli municipality of Jerusalem southwest of Jerusalem. See satellite image of settlement expansion in Ma'ale Adumim 2004.

The Israeli plan to puff up the settlements counters all international laws and the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, in addition to Security Council resolutions, specifically UN Resolution 446 which ''determines that Israeli settlements are a serious obstruction to peace and calls on Israel to abide by the Fourth Geneva Convention'', Resolution 452 which '…'calls' on Israel to cease building settlements in occupied territories' and Resolution 465 which '…'deplores' Israel's settlements and asks all member states not to assist Israel's settlements program' recognize Israel's presence in the occupied Palestinian territories illegal. Furthermore, Israel failed to abide by its commitment to the US ''Road Map'' initiative which calls for aggregate freeze of all settlement related activities in OPT after the 1967 war and the consummation treaty of an independent Palestinian State with geographical contiguity by the year 2005.

However, as long as the current US Administration indulge with the Israel practices in the OPT and refuses to assume more strict and decisive procedures to ensure Israel compliance with the Road Map Initiative, will continue disregarding and violating all the peace treaties and initiatives put forward.

Ma'ale Adumim Settlement is Building More New Housing Units

Ma'ale Adumim settlement, established in 1975 along the eastern extends of Jerusalem has grown to become the largest settlement bloc in the West Bank & Gaza with a population of 30.000+. The established settlement was as part of the so-called spontaneous retort following the 1973 war with Egypt as Israeli fanatics under religious pretext invaded various locations in the occupied Palestinian territories and assumed control of many locations. Over decades, Ma'ale Adumim settlement gained a unique nepotism with successive Israeli governments, which gained the original 23 founding families, a ''local council'' status in 1979. In the decade that followed, the original Israeli settlers of Ma'ale Adumim and with unlimited patronage of the Israeli governments (financially & military) secured Ma'ale Adumim as status of a ''city'' and became the first Jewish city in the occupied Palestinian territories. Ma'ale Adumim settlement stands today as the biggest existing Israeli settlement in the occupied territories with a population exceeding 30.000 and more than 22,000 dunums of expropriated Palestinian lands; 3000 Dunums of which constitute the built up area. The expropriate lands were initially declared as closed military area by the Israeli Army but were later on transferred under jurisdiction of Ma'ale Adumim council.

Some decade ago, an Israeli plan identified as ''E1'' plan'' went into effect to expand the built-up area in Ma'ale Adumim settlement and to link it with other settlements in East Jerusalem (Pisgat Ze'ev, Pisgat Omer, Neve Yaa'acov & the French Hill). The ''E1''' plan intends to put an end to any plan for future expansion of Palestinian villages located in the area of Al-Tur, Anata , El-Eizaryieh, and Abu Dis, Al-Essawyieh & Hizma. The ''E1'' plan is part of the Israeli so-called ''Metropolitan Jerusalem''; endorsed by the Israeli Knesset in May 1997 and emphasizes Israel persistence to continue occupying East Jerusalem and its illegal annexation in 1980.

Consequently, the ''E1'' plan will eliminate any possibility of free access and geographical unity between area located south and north of Jerusalem; and the creation of an intact Palestinian State.

Israel Ministry of Housing Publishes New Tenders for West Bank Settlements

On August 17, 2004, the Israeli Ministry of Housing published new tenders for new housing units in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The new tenders included calls for building 1001 new housing units, the first to be published sine December 2003 specially since Israel committed itself following the ''Aqaba Summit'' & the ''Road Map Initiative''   to freeze all settlement related activities in the West Bank until a final agreement is concluded with the Palestinians. Israeli sources claimed the tenders published in mid August 2004 are not the last to be heard from the Israeli Ministry of Housing, as preparations are underway to publish more tenders for the Israeli settlement in the West Bank before the end of this year. The tenders published expressed Israel PM intentions toward peace and Palestinians as he sent a strong and explicit message to all those parties involved in the peace process that his intentions as his deeds do not involve any major or ideological settlement evacuation of any kind. The effects of published tenders contradicts with all commitments to peace treaties and International laws regarding the status of the OPT following the 1967 war. The Israeli Labor party (potential party in the anticipated unified Israeli government) also expressed its dissatisfaction with the current government actions, which may very much put the unified government proposal at risk.

The new tenders included 1001 new housing units distributed to a number of Israeli settlements situated in the West Bank.  The following tables detail the number of housing units to distributed over settlements of the West Bank as provided by the Israeli ministry of housing

Table 1: Tenders for new housing units in Israeli settlements of the West Bank to be added soon.

Table 2:  Tenders for new housing units in Israeli settlements of the West Bank to be added in the next few month

See map of new tenders

The bottom line explicitly illustrates that the plans to expand Ma'ale Adumim along with other Israeli settlements blocs will delimit the Palestinian territories into enclosed habitats including Jerusalem; the anticipated capital of the forthcoming Palestinian State. The number of new houses set to built in the Israeli settlements is practically irrelevant as to the fact that Israel smears all resolutions adopted by the international law, the Security Council, the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and the ''Road Map'' initiative; especially that all Israeli practices are cheered by the US administration regardless of the latter occasional and provisional criticism, which frequently involves denunciation echoed from an Israeli perspective of the Palestinian Authority. Israel's most recent apathy of the world community exemplified with Israel's vow to ignore the UN General Assembly demand on July 20, 2004, which called upon the State of Israel to conform by the International Court of Justice's ruling (issued July 9, 2004) and tear down the Segregation Wall built on the occupied Palestinian West Bank by Israel in the 1967 Middle East War. along with other Israeli settlements blocs will delimit the Palestinian territories into enclosed habitats including Jerusalem; the anticipated capital of the forthcoming Palestinian State. The number of new houses set to built in the Israeli settlements is practically irrelevant as to the fact that Israel smears all resolutions adopted by the international law, the Security Council, the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and the ''Road Map'' initiative; especially that all Israeli practices are cheered by the US administration regardless of the latter occasional and provisional criticism, which frequently involves denunciation echoed from an Israeli perspective of the Palestinian Authority. Israel's most recent apathy of the world community exemplified with Israel's vow to ignore the UN General Assembly demand on July 20, 2004, which called upon the State of Israel to conform by the International Court of Justice's ruling (issued July 9, 2004) and tear down the Segregation Wall built on the occupied Palestinian West Bank by Israel in the 1967 Middle East War.

Related articles:-

1- Reactivating E-1 Plan of Maale Adumim Settlement

2- The Circling of East Jerusalem – Roads 45 and 5

Prepared by:
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem