On October 11, 2011, newspapers reported the announcement of the Israeli Government intention to legalize 134 outposts that were built on what they claim to be ‘State Lands’ contrary to the Israeli Knesset decision of July 22, 2003 to dismantle all ‘unauthorized’ outposts.
What is more is that Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister is going out of his way and spearheading a special committee to explore ways to legalize those outposts built on private Palestinian lands. This Israeli mobilization came in response to commanding pressure exercised by the Israeli settlers and other right extremists groups to the State’s decision to demolish several outposts built on private Palestinian land by summer of next year.
In light of the Israeli plans on this regard, the U.S. State Department criticized the Israeli move and its prime minister’s Netanyahu’s seeking ways to legalize the outposts and settlements built on private Palestinian lands; calling it ‘unhelpful’ to Mideast peace efforts. Between the U.S. reaction to the Israeli plans and the international community’s reaction, which ranged between “contamination” and “upsets”; Israeli may very much read “no comment” between the lines, since none of the previous Israeli plans had any consequences or any serious upshots from the international community, or the Quartet.
The U.S. State Department spokesperson criticized the Israeli endeavors, stressing that the American stance against settlement building ‘remains unchanged.‘The United States has a clear policy – we do not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity,’ the U.S. official said, adding that Washington opposed ‘any effort to legalize settlement outposts, which is unhelpful to our peace efforts and would contradict Israeli commitments and obligations.’
However, the State Department spokesperson did not leave it at this, as he; and out of nowhere and out of the blue managed to drag the Palestinian into this Israeli equation; again; and as expectedly from the US to put some of the blame for any Israeli action on the Palestinians, as the State Department spokesperson reiterated — the U.S. call ‘on both parties to take constructive actions to promote peace and avoid actions that complicate this process or undermine trust.’
And even though it is not obvious how the Palestinians have taken any step to complicate the peace process, the State Department spokesperson continued to say:‘We urge both parties to take advantage of the Quartet proposal and return to direct talks,’ And that is the point: the Quartet.
The Road Map plan proposed in May of 2003 by the USA and the Quartet stressed the necessity to freeze of all settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory; however, since then these activities proportionately increased almost on a daily basis; hence the Israeli violations of the Road Map, and contrary to the Israeli obligation under the Road Map to freeze the expansion of settlements and to dismantle outposts, new outposts have been established in the West Bank; 134 of them since 2003. At no point has the Quartet, the Road Map indicated any distinguish to the issue of “private” lands when it come to the issue of outposts and settlements. Ultimately, for Israeli to legitimize the existence of the 134 outposts in question is effective creation of 134 new settlements in the oPt and 134 additional obstacles in the road to peace.
It became evidently clear that the Quartet is losing great deal of “credibility” grounds with the Palestinians, being incapable to immobilize the settlements and the outposts construction as stated in the Road Map, hence; aptitude to see through a just solution to this conflict and definitely unable to stand to Israel’s apathy of the international law; and maybe its time that the United States step out of the mediation chair for thing to move forward as it has proven that it could be as much obstacle to the peace process as the Israelis.
The successive Israeli governments relied on the Quartet – the United States passiveness toward the conflict to move forward with their construction plans; and even more embrace the United States and its stature. This is a fact clearly translated in the words of the former Israeli Prime Minister of Israel Ariel Sharon:
‘Every time we do something you tell me America will do this and will do that . . . I want to tell you something very clear: Don’t worry about American pressure on Israel. We, the Jewish people, control America, and the Americans know it.’- Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, October 3, 2001.
As recorded and documented by ARIJ and other organizations (including Israelis) monitoring the Israeli activities in the occupied Palestinian territory; it is concluded that the majority of the Israeli methodological expansions have taken place in settlements and outposts positioned in the districts of Salfit, Nablus, Qalqilyia, Jericho, Tubas, Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem with the aim to maintain corridors that links the Israeli settlements on the east side of the Segregation Wall to the Jordan Valley area, thus the West Bank’s eastern terrains and encapsulating East Jerusalem from the West Bank.
The geographical distribution of the 134 outposts that Israel seek to legitimize in the occupied Palestinian territory are just more than provocative actions, they are an evident steps aiming at creating facts on the ground which will dwindle the prospect to reach a permanent solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the creation of Palestine under the two state solution concept.
Not Optional but Mandatory
Over and over, Israel continue with its attempts to manipulate the status of the Israeli outposts and settlements; much more to spread confusion about what is legal or illegal at a time when it is incontestable that all Israeli outposts and settlements built in the oPt are deemed illegal, since the construction of these outposts and settlements came about under coercion to the real landowners; the Palestinians and not with their consent, which makes the amputations of these adversative structures to ever achieving a genuine peace between the two conflicting parties a mandatory step rather than an optional one.
Israel apathy of the international law and various peace initiatives reflects nothing but Israel commitment to its colonization plan of the occupied Palestinian Territory, consequently creating what they believe to be irreversible facts on the ground to dictate their own terms to any potential peace agreement with the Palestinians, to put an end to any prospect of a viable Palestinian State on June 4, 1967 occupied territory.
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