When the Israeli PM Netanyahu declared a 10 months settlement freeze moratorium on November 25, 2009, claiming that it is to give the peace process a chance to move forward, the international community applauded the Israeli act but it seems that the international community has short memory when it comes to Israel’s credibility on promises and deeds; most recent of which the so-called moratorium, in which Israel excluded the under construction projects in the Israeli settlements and narrowed down the moratorium as not to initiate any new projects in the settlements, excluding East Jerusalem settlements.
An analysis of high precision aerial photos (0.5×0.5 meters) conducted by the Applied Research Institute-Jerusalem (ARIJ) team revealed that settlements’ construction during 2010 (under the so-called settlement freeze moratorium) was palpable with the construction of 1819 structures in 133 settlements all over the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. It should be noted here that the 1819 structures built in settlements during 2010 disperse into 7276 housing units averaging 902000 square meters, distributed in the Palestinian governorates as follow:
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Table 1: No. of Buildings built in Israeli settlements in the Occupied West Bank during the 10-months freeze moratorium
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Governorate
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No. of Buildings
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Percent of total
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Bethlehem
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214
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11.8
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Hebron
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138
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7.6
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Jenin
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35
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1.9
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Jericho
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15
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0.8
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Jerusalem
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420
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23.1
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Nablus
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160
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8.8
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Qalqilyah
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219
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12.0
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Ramallah
|
324
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17.8
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Salfit
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268
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14.7
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Tubas
|
11
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0.6
|
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Tulkarem
|
15
|
0.8
|
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Total
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1819
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100.0
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Source: the Geographical Information System, ARIJ 2011
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The analysis also showed that the 133 Israeli settlements also witnessed the addition of 1433 caravans (mobile homes) all over the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, distributed in the Palestinian governorates as follow:
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Table 2: No. of Caravans built in Israeli settlements in the Occupied West Bank during the 10-months freeze moratorium
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Governorate
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No. of Caravans
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Percent of total
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Bethlehem
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75
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5.2
|
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Hebron
|
242
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16.9
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Jenin
|
94
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6.6
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Jericho
|
41
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2.9
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Jerusalem
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97
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6.8
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Nablus
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128
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8.9
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Qalqilyia
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82
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5.7
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Ramallah
|
484
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33.8
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Salfit
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156
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10.9
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Tubas
|
9
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0.6
|
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Tulkarem
|
25
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1.7
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Total
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1433
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100.0
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Source: the Geographical Information System, ARIJ 2011
Settlement Expansion with regard to the Israeli Segregation Wall Path
In line with that concept, the bulk of buildings construction has taken place in 76 settlements located in the western segregation zone (the area that falls between the line of the Segregation Wall and the 1949 Armistice Line (Green Line)), at 73.3% (698.56 dunums) whereas the construction operations in 57 settlements located east of the Segregation Wall was limited to 26.7% (203.81 dunums).
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Table 3: Expansion in Israeli settlements East and West of the Israeli Segregation Wall
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Location from Wall
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No. of Buildings
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Percent
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No. of Caravans
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Percent
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East
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485
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26.7
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537
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37.5
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West
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1334
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73.3
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896
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62.5
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Total
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1819
|
100
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1433
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100
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Source: the Geographical Information System, ARIJ 2011
The illegality of Israeli settlements in the West Bank according to Interntional Law:
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The United Nations Security Council Resolution 465of 1980 ‘ determines that all measures taken by Israel to change the physical character, demographic composition, institutional structure or status of the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem, or any part thereof, have no legal validity and that Israel’s policy and practices of settling parts of its population and new immigrants in those territories constitute a flagrant violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War and also constitute a serious obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East.’
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Article 55 of the Hague Convention stipulates that “the occupying state shall be regarded only as administrator and usufructuary of public buildings, real estate, forests, and agricultural estates belonging to the hostile State, and situated in the occupied country. It must safeguard the capital of these properties, and administer them in accordance with the rules of usufruct”.
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The International Court of Justice advisory opinion of July 9, 2004 addresses the construction of the wall in the West Bank in particular and the West Bank itself in general, stating that the Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (including East Jerusalem) have been established in breach of international law.
[3] Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. Geneva, 12 August 1949
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