Intermediary Report for the “Monitoring Israeli Colonizing Activities” Project

 

 

This report highlights the events concerning colonizing activities  in the West Bank and Gaza that occurred between the months of September and November.  The report describes and evaluates those events and their effects on the Palestinian  community. The report also tries to predict the repercussions expected in the  future as a result of those events.

Background:

The Madrid Peace Conference of October 29, 1991 was a major  turning point in the status of the West Bank and Gaza after the 1967 war. For  the first time, the Palestinian Territories were invited to a meeting addressing  the Middle East conflict. Although it was not on an equal basis, it was a start.  This conference provided the legitimacy and the framework for future rounds of  peace negotiations and agreements. The direct outcome of the Madrid Conference  was the birth of two separate negotiating tracks: the bilateral and multilateral  talks. Soon after, separate bilateral negotiations were initiated between Israel  from one side and the Palestinians, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria on the other. Multilateral  talks on key regional issues have been frequently held as well. Negotiations between  Israel and the Palestinians on the interim period started in Washington, D.C.  The composition of the Palestinian negotiating team was restricted at this time  to members who were residents of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.  

The lack of progress in the bilateral negotiations led to secret  meetings arranged and hosted by the Norwegians. These meetings led to the adoption  of a two-stage solution. The first stage was an interim period of five years during  which Palestinians would be permitted limited autonomy in the West Bank and Gaza  Strip. The critical issues of water allocation control over resources, East Jerusalem  refugees, and the Israeli settlements were to be negotiated during the permanent  status negotiations, which were scheduled to start on May 1, 1996. The behind-the-scenes  negotiations, which took place in Oslo, Norway, achieved a major breakthrough  in the Palestinian-Israeli relations, and brought the PLO and Israel to sign the  'Declaration of Principles' (DOP) in September, 1993. 

The DOP contained mutually agreed upon general principles for  the interim period. It requested Israel to turn its authority over civil issues  in the West Bank to the Palestinian Authority. During the interim period, Israel  would continue to control security of borders and Israeli settlers in the West  Bank and Gaza Strip. In order to elaborate on the practical application of the  DOP, the 'Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area', was signed in May  1994. That agreement, which later became known as Oslo I, resulted in the withdrawal  of the Israeli forces from approximately 78% of the Gaza Strip and 6,130 hectares  in the Jericho area. The 22% of the Gaza Strip which remained under Israeli control  included 'yellow areas,' Israeli settlements, and an Israeli security zone.  

 

The Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank  and the Gaza Strip (commonly known as 'Oslo II') was initiated in Washington,  D.C. on the 28th of September 1995. Oslo II set out a policy for election  of the Palestinian Council and defined its authority, established Palestinian  self-government in the West Bank, and set a schedule for redeployment of the Israeli  army from populated Palestinian areas. The agreement also focused on security  arrangements between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. As of today, Israel  has not fulfilled a large segment of the Oslo II Agreement. 

 

The Interim agreements have divided the lands of the West Bank  into three classifications: areas A, B, and C. The Israeli military withdrew from  lands classified as area A, and complete autonomy over administrative and security  issues was assumed by the Palestinian Authority. Area A, according to the Oslo  II agreement, covered the main cities of the West Bank, except for Hebron which  had a special agreement. The city of Hebron was divided into areas of different  control called H1 and H2. Area H1 is defined as area A and area H2, which houses  400 settlers, remains under Israeli control.  

In areas B, the Palestinians have full control over civil affairs  while Israel continues to have overriding responsibility for security. These areas  comprise most of the Palestinian towns and villages. Areas C, covering almost  74.3% of the West Bank, are under Israeli control. Areas C covers the area, which  falls outside areas A and B. In this area, the Palestinian Authority provides  civil services; however, Israel retains full control over land, security, people,  and natural resources. The majority of Palestinian agricultural land lies in these  areas.  

In the summer of 1996, there was a change of government in  Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu, the Likud party leader, rose to power. His agenda  concerning the occupied territories diverged from that of his predecessors and  the peace process plunged into a series of crises. Not only that but there was  also an upsurge in the colonizing activities to the extent that Israeli officials  publicly called upon the settlers to grab as many hilltops as they can. That  land grab policy resulted in the establishment of over 40 outposts during the  three years that Likud held power. 

Furthermore, Netanyahu was reluctant to honor the agreements  signed by predecessors thus he placed the peace talks in a stalemate. Consequently,  on the 23rd of October 1998 the Wye River Memorandum was signed to  'facilitate implementation' of the Interim agreement between the Palestinians  and Israel. The memorandum stipulated further redeployments that would give the  Palestinians control over about 40% of the West Bank (Table 1). The redeployments  were to be conducted in three stages and it was projected that after completion  of the third stage, area A would be approximately 18.2% of the West Bank, area  B would be 21.8%, and the remaining areas would continue to be area C (Wye River  Memorandum, 1998). The first stage was put into effect on November 20, 1998,  two weeks after the agreed timeline and the following two stages were stalled.  On December 15, 1998, the Israeli government announced its decision to stop further  redeployment, and froze the implementation of the Wye agreement indefinitely.  Table 1: The redeployments as mentioned in the Wye River Memorandum.

	Total Area A	Total Area B	Total Area C
Stage I	10.1%	18.9%	71.0%
Stage II (not implemented)	10.1%	23.9%	66.0%
Stage II (not implemented)	18.2%	21.8%	60.0%

Source: adapted from The Wye River Memorandum, October  23, 1998 

Since the Wye River Memo encountered obstacles in implementation,  it needed a new agreement in order to see it through. So on the fourth of September  1999, the Sharm El-Sheikh Memorandum was signed. In general, this memo reiterated  each party's commitment to uphold its previous obligations yet with a bit of detailing  on certain issues. The Permanent Status talks were to resume in an accelerated  manner and a deadline was set (September 2000) for their conclusion. The memo  also contained clauses detailing the release of prisoners, the operation of the  Gaza Port, the Safe Passage Route, and modifications in the stages of redeployment.  The first and second stages were implemented (albeit after delays) while the third  stage, which was scheduled for the 20th of January 2000, has not been  implemented (Table 2).  

Table 2: The redeployments as mentioned in the Sharm El-Sheikh  Memorandum.

	Total Area A	Total Area B	Total Area C
Stage I	10.1%	25.9%	64.0%
Stage II (implemented in delay)	12.1%	26.9%	61.0%
Stage II (not implemented)	18.2%	21.8%	60.0%

Source: adapted from The Sharm El-SheikhMemorandum,  September 4, 1999. 

The final status negotiations, which were supposed to commence  in May 1996 and end by 1999, were officially started in early September 1999.  In the meantime, the Israeli government has not stopped its unilateral practices  in the West Bank and Gaza strip by which it created de farealities on the ground.  These de facto realities are clearly prejudicing the outcome of negotiations on  the final status of the Occupied Territories to Israel's favor. Such activities  are in total violation of United Nations' resolutions, particularly 298 and 242,  as well as standing Palestinian-Israeli agreements. 

The West Bank

The West Bank is a landlocked geographic entity created as  a consequence of the 1948 war (see map). The borders demarcating the West Bank  are those appearing in the maps of the 1949 Armistice agreement signed by the  Arab states and Israel. In 1967 Israel occupied the West Bank annexing East Jerusalem  while treating the rest of it as 'Administered Territories'. The international  community, however, does not recognize Israel's annexation and refers to the West  Bank (including East Jerusalem) as the Occupied Territories. The area of the West  Bank is 5822 km2 and its Palestinian population in 1997 was 1,873,476  (PCBS, 1998). It includes 642 Palestinian built-up areas comprising 359 km2 (GIS database, ARIJ, 1998). In addition, there are eighteen refugee camps scattered  throughout.

However there are over 250 Israeli built up areas (civilian  and military) in the West Bank covering an area of 147 km2 (GIS database,  ARIJ, 1998). Yet, Israel recognizes only 124 as independent municipal bodies.  Currently the settlers number around 340,000 of which 170,000 are in East Jerusalem  alone.
As is apparent from the map, the Jewish settlements in the West  Bank are scattered all over (see map). However successive Israeli governments  have encouraged the development of specific blocks more than others. Notably,  the focus has been on the following areas:

• the Jerusalem area to create demographic barricades in front of any Arab claims  to it,
• Along the West Bank's western edges so as to make the return to the 1967 borders  practically impossible.
• The Jordan valley for its presumed importance to Israel's security as well  as for its agricultural resources (abundant water and fertile soil). 

 

Furthermore, the growth of settlements is mainly geared to the  formation of blocks; i.e. they grow outwards and towards each other. The end  result of such a growth is the grouping of Palestinian towns and villages into  three or four cantons. Indeed, the Israeli intention is to make the contiguity  of any Palestinian State in the future practically unattainable.

In addition, Israel builds by-pass roads to link settlements with  each other and with Israel proper (see map). This designation came with the advent  of the Oslo Accords and was not present before. In the agreements they are called  'Lateral Roads' but people usually call them 'bypass' roads because they are meant  to circumvent (i.e. bypass) Palestinian built up areas. These roads are of course  under Israeli control and entail a 50 to 75 meter buffer zone on each side of  the road in which no construction is allowed. In effect, these roads carve up  the Palestinian areas into isolated ghettos and deprive Palestinians of vital  agricultural land. Moreover, these roads become political boundaries since most  of them are inaccessible to Palestinians from the West Bank (photo 1, Photo2).

 

 

To achieve its schemes of settlement expansion and by-pass road  construction Israel utilizes a variety of policies. From issuing military orders,  to land confiscation, to house demolition, and uprooting trees, Israel continues  to transform the West Bank every day. The Israeli violations that were reported  between the months of September till November are discussed in the following section.

 

  Table 3: Israeli Violations in the West Bank from September to  November 1999

Date	Violation	Location	Violators	Notes
05-Sep-1999	Expanding of Kaddim /Gannim settlements	Jenin	Israeli authorities	Area of expansion 250 dunums
06-Sep-1999	Closing the Ibrahimi Mosque for Muslim worshippers for six days  during the Jewish holidays	Hebron	The Israeli military forces	Access will only be granted to settlers and Orthodox Jews
12-Sep-1999	Seizure a piece of land, in order to open a new road, 400 meters  in length	Hebron – Halhul	Settlers of Karmei Zur
17-Sep-1999	Plans to build 88 housing units in Kedar settlement	Jerusalem	A private contractor	The plan doubles the size of Kedar.
17-Sep-1999	Endorsement of a plan to construct a huge Israeli tourist settlement	Bethlehem – Etzion Bloc	The Israeli Housing Ministry
18-Sep-1999	Expansion of Susiya boundaries northwards and eastwards, in addition  to the installation of 10 caravans on 4 dunums of land	Hebron – Susiya settlement	Settlers of Susiya	The land has lost 150 dunums to the settlement.
20-Sep-1999	Planning of building a new checkpoint which will run parallel  to the existing one and will be used by Palestinians only	Between Bethlehem & Jerusalem	The Israeli authorities	more
21-Sep-1999	Prohibition of the villagers from cultivating their 80-dunum land	Bethlehem – Kh. Beit Skariya	The Israeli authorities	more
23-Sep-1999	Attempt to block an internationally funded project to help Palestinian  agriculture	Bethlehem – Etzion enclave	Jewish settlement leaders	more
23-Sep-1999	Fencing around 40 dunums of land, endeavoring to construct additional  housing units	Hebron – Tarqumia	The settlers of Telem
24-Sep-1999	Military post near Homesh/Sa Nur settlements	Nablus- Funduqawmieh	Israeli authorities	The post lies on a one-dunum area.
26-Sep-1999	2,600 new tenders have been issued for house constructions in  the settlements	West Bank	Israel's Housing and Construction Ministry
26-Sep-1999	Closing off 23,000 dunums of land	Hebron – Beit Ula & Edna	The Israeli military forces	more
27-Sep-1999	Tender issued for a new by-pass road connecting Shaked and Katzir  settlements.	Jenin	Israeli authorities
27-Sep-1999	Tender issued for a new by-pass road connecting Kiryat Arba and  Ramat Mamre settlements.	Hebron	Israeli authorities
27-Sep-1999	Attendance of the ceremony of opening a large Jewish school	Hebron – Otniel settlement	Israeli officials	Click to see photo
29-Sep-1999	16 military orders have been issued to seal off large areas of  fertile agricultural land	West Bank	Israeli authorities	Click for more also see in depth analysis below.
01-Oct-1999	Marketing 600 housing units in Har Homa settlement.	Bethlehem – Jabal Abu Ghneim	Israeli authorities
01-Oct-1999	Construction of 500 housing units in Maale Adumim settlement.	Jerusalem	Israeli authorities
04-Oct-1999	Sealing agricultural plots of land to be used as Israeli training  fields	Hebron – Sa'ir, Bani Na'im, Yatta	The Israeli army	The sealed area is estimated at over 80 km2. Click  for more.
06-Oct-1999	Erecting two mobile homes	Ramallah – Talmon settlement	Jewish settlers
06-Oct-1999	Setting up two mobile houses	Hebron – Susiya settlement	Jewish settlers
12-Oct-1999	3,000 settlement housing units are in the process of building	Ramallah – Kokhav Yaacov settlement	The Israeli Housing Ministry
15-Oct-1999	Approving the establishment of 35 settlements	West Bank	PM Barak	see in depth analysis below
18-Oct-1999	A military order has been issued to prohibit the renovation of  Palestinian houses	Hebron – close to Ibrahimi Mosque	The Israeli occupation authorities
20-Oct-1999	Expansion of Maale Shomron settlement.	Qalqilieh-Azzun	Israeli authorities	Area of expansion is 5 dunums
20-Oct-1999	Erecting a mobile synagogue in an illegal outpost	Hebron – Havat Maon settlement	Ultra-orthodox Jews
22-Oct-1999	The land of the evacuated settlements' outposts will remain under  the Jewish settlers' control	West Bank	Barak & the settlers	see in depth analysis below
02-Nov-1999	Expansion of Karne Shomron settlement.	Qalqilieh-Kufer Laqif	Israeli authorities	The area of expansion is 14 dunums.
02-Nov-1999	A plan was ratified to build 37,000 housing units to bring in  185,400 settlers	Bethlehem – Etzion Bloc	The Israeli government	It was first proposed by the so-called 'Higher Council of  Planning'
03-Nov-1999	Uprooting dozens of olive trees	Ramallah – El Midya	troop of Israeli soldiers
07-Nov-1999	Expansion of Itamar settlement's Master plan from 700 to 7000 dunums	Nablus- Awarta and Kafr Qallil	The Israeli government (PM Barak)	Click to see map and photo
15-Nov-1999	New tenders have been published to build 2,703 new settlement housing  units	West Bank	The Israeli government (PM Barak)
15-Nov-1999	Demolition of six houses and evicting hundreds of Palestinian  Bedouins from caves and stone shacks	Hebron – Yatta	Israeli troops	Click for more.
23-Nov-1999	Setting up an illegal outpost	Bethlehem – Etzion Bloc	The members of Dor Hahemshech	Click to see map and photo
24-Nov-1999	Demolition orders for 30 cistern wells used for irrigation	Bethlehem – El Khader	The Israeli Civil Administration	Click for more
26-Nov-1999	Approving the constructing of 1,026 new housing units on 26,000  square meter of land	Bethlehem – El Khader & Artas	The Israeli government
28-Nov-1999	Moving of five Jewish families (Yeshiva) into an Isreali army  unit base	Hebron – Old city	Isreali military forces
29-Nov-1999	Demolishing of 7 stores and stone shacks and 3 cistern wells	Bethlehem – El Khader	The Israeli forces	Click for more

Source: compiled from local newspapers, interviews and field survey.

 

Table 4: Direct colonizing activities by Jewish settlers in the  West Bank throughout the months of Sep-Nov, 1999.

Name of settlement	Name of Arabic location	Area in dunums	No. of housing units	Nature of Activity
Immanuel	Deir Istia, Salfit, Jensafut,	451	–	Confiscating the land and illegally registering it
Shilo	Ra'as Musa, Qaryut, Nablus	1200	5	Annexing the land without prior notice and building on it
Rachelim	Talama, Sawieh, Nablus	80	14	Annexing the land without prior notice and building on it
Shvut Rahel	Khafafish, Jalud, Nablus	1026	7	Annexing the land without prior notice and building on it
Karne Shomron	Ra'as Amer, Jensafut, Qalqilieh	42	–	Annexing the land without prior notice and building on it
Total		2799	26

Source: compiled from interviews and field survey. 

Table 5: Tenders for construction in settlements in the West Bank  published by the Israeli government during the months of Sep-Nov, 1999:

Date	Name of settlement	District	No. of housing units to be built
14.9.1999	Ramat Mamre	Hebron	12
1.11.1999	Asfar (Metzad)	Hebron	9
4.11.1999	Sa Nur & Gannim	Jenin	14
15.11.1999	Arial	Salfit	54
Total			89

Source: compiled from Publication Of Tenders For Construction  In The Settlements By The Barak Administration, Peace Now. 

 

Planning schemes projects for expanding Israeli settlements on  Palestinian land in West Bank:

A.  Bidding for planning schemes 

1.     A planning scheme was prepared for the settlement of Elkana in Qalqilieh district  and was sent for bidding on 1.11.1999 under the number of1/15/125.

2.     A new planning scheme for Jadu'nim settlement built on land belonging to the village  of Beit Furik, Nablus was sent for bidding on 8.11.1999 under the number of 3/163.  According to this scheme, 30 housing units will be built on a total area of 4285  dunums.

3.     A project to build a new colonialist road was sent for bidding on 22.10.1999.  The project whose number is 2/8/115 will be build on land belonging to the villages  of Azzun and Kufer Thuluth in Tulkarm district.

4.     Issuing and approving 4 planning schemes in the Hebron district affecting  1860 dunums.

B.  Commencement of a number of planning schemes: 

1.     A final approval was given to a scheme aimed at enlarging Salit settlement. According  to this scheme whose number is 2/1/112, about 175 housing units will be built  on 847 dunums. The date of commencement for this project is 22.9.99. 

2.     A scheme to enlarge the settlement of Revava situated on Deir Istia and Haris  villages in Salfit district entered into force on 12.11.1999.  

3.     Erecting the first structure (300 m2) in the Israeli industrial  zone south of Al-Thahiriya town in Hebron district (see Photo).  

Jerusalem 

The state of the Palestinians' human rights in Jerusalem is  deteriorating at an accelerating rate. The Israeli occupation is trying to build  more facts on the ground to Israelize the Holy City; to make it, as they claim,  the eternal capital of Israel. As a result of the Israeli policies:  

• Palestinian Jerusalemites are prevented from using more than 86% of their  land upon which Israeli occupation built more than 15 settlements. The remaining  land is kept as a strategic reserve for the expansion of the settlements.  

• The number of Jewish settlers in occupied Jerusalem is about 170,000 settlers.  Their number in 1967 was zero.  

• More than 2000 houses were demolished since 1967, more than 350 of which were  demolished under the pretext of building without permit.  

• More than 100 homes were seized in addition to two neighborhoods inside and  outside the Old City.  

• The military closure of the city since the 30th of March 1993  has caused devastation on the economical, social, and political levels.  

Since the beginning of September 1999, field workers based  in Jerusalem documented the following violations in the Jerusalem area: 

Table 6: House Demolitions

Name of victim	Date of demolition	Location	Area in m2	No. of rooms	No. of family members	No. of children
Ihab Yusif Nasser. Photo	26/10/1999	Eisawieh	100	4	6	0
Faizeh Fuad Khalil	25/10/1999	Beit Hanina	60	4	8	5
Sarah Fuad Khalil	25/10/1999	Beit Hanina	60	3	9	4
Najwa Fuad Khalil	25/10/1999	Beit Hanina	60	3	8	6
Walid Al-Ja'bari. Photo	15/11/1999	Al-Sawahreh Al-Gharbiyeh
Total			280	14	31	15

 Source: compiled from interviews and field surveying on the sites. 

• The continuation of the Israeli colonialist construction in Ras Al-Amud Palestinian  quarter. (Click for more.) 

• A military order was issued closing 300 dunums of Nabi Samual village in preparation  for total confiscation for the exclusive use of Jews. 

• The Israeli army issued a number of orders to evacuate 17 families who have  been living in Nabi Samual village since 1954. 

• The Israeli authorities continue to build road No. 1 in Jerusalem that connects  Pisgat Zeev settlement with the western side of Jerusalem. This road is being built  on land confiscated from Palestinians of Shu'fat village. As part of the road  construction, an historical old mosque was destroyed. 

• The Israeli authorities started groundwork without prior notification on a  large stretch of land for the construction of the East Ring Road next to Sur Baher  village, south of Jerusalem (click to see photo).

•  On the other hand, works are still under way to build road No. 45 in the lands  of the Palestinian areas of Qalandia, Judeira, Bir Nabala, Jib (Click to see photo1, photo2).  This road will meet the tunnel road No. 60 that crosses the city from south to  north. 

• Mr. Khader Budran was killed after being shot at by Israeli Police on the  1st of October 1999. The incident took place in Ramot settlement under  the pretext that he did not stop as the Police asked to. In addition, Mr. Ayman  Al Sheikh, whose was sitting next to Khader, was also killed after the dead driver  lost control of the car and it hit the pavement violently before it came to a  complete stop.   

The Gaza Strip 

Gaza is a narrow strip of land located across the southern  western side of Palestine (see map).

 

The Strip is 45 km long and it is between  6 to 12 km wide. The total area of the Strip is 363.8 km squared. The population  of Gaza is about 1 million. With such data, Gaza is considered one of the most  over crowded areas in the world with a rate of 3018 person per km squared (in  the case of discounting the area under Israeli occupation). Finally, the percentage  of young people under the age of 15 is about 50%. Agriculture is the main economic  activity in the Strip. Main agricultural products include palm and citrus trees  in addition to the different types of vegetables. The Strip also has a large labor  force. Yet, the Israeli occupation has deployed a number of policies that has  affected the economic activity in the Strip in a negative way. Such policies include:  

• The confiscation and seizure of agricultural lands,  

• The seizure of water sources and the over pumping of it to supply it to the  Israeli settlements. This action has led to the increase of both the pollution and  the salt concenof the water.  

• The isolation of the Strip from other markets which caused a great damage  to the agricultural environment. 

• The increase of the number of the unemployment in Gaza.  

Despite the small area of the Strip and the fact that there  exists a great number of Palestinian refugee camps (their total area is about  110,000 dunums), we find that Israeli colonizing activity led to the seizure of  about 59,000 dunumsof Palestinian land in the Strip. That is about 16.3%  of the total area of the Strip. The usage of these dunumsis divided as  follows:  

• 43,000 dunums were used to build 20 settlements atop of them,  

• 775 dunumswere declared closed military areas and used exclusively  for the usage of the Israeli occupation forces.  

• 15,000 dunums used as security zones for the protection of Israeli settlers.  

The geographical distribution of the Israeli settlements in Gaza  was designed to accomplish two goals:

1.     To isolate, as much as possible, Palestinian centers from reaching the Mediterranean  Sea. This goal has been achieved through the establishment of 16 settlements parallel  to the Mediterranean Sea in the south of the Strip.

2.     To control the main road that divides the Strip into three distinct areas,  which allows for their easy isolation. This goal has been achieved through the  establishment of the 3 settlements of Erez in the north, Kfar Darom in the middle  of the Strip, and Morag in the south.  

Moreover, the Israeli occupation established settlements in Gaza  Strip with functional objectives with the aim of serving the occupation. These  settlements include military ones that aim at achieving complete military and security  control over the Strip and its coastal area in addition to the Egyptian borders.  They also include agricultural settlements to which vast areas of land were annexed  and used as farms by the settlers in order to achieve three goals:

1.      Controlling vast areas of Palestinian land; 

2.     Controlling sources of underground water in the Strip; 

3.     Using the Gaza Strip land and water for cultivating special kinds of vegetation  like flowers and citrus fruits (economic reason). 

The Israeli occupation authorities also set up a number of  industrial settlements with the aim of utilizing cheap labor in Gaza Strip to produce  Israeli products for local and international markets. 

A large network of roads was built to serve Israeli settlements.  It comprises two categories: 

1.     Internal roads connecting settlements to each other and connecting settlements with  main roads; 

2.     Main roads that connect the three settler blocks in the south, north and  center of the occupied land with Israel proper. 

Although a number of these roads pass by areas under the Palestinian  sovereignty according to Oslo accords, the Israelis are still having security  control over these roads supported by permanent and random checkpoints. Often,  the Israeli army and settlers prevent Palestinian from using these roads, especially  those roads leading to Netzarim and Kfar Darom settlements where Palestinians face  arbitrary checks and are not allowed to travel on these roads individually, but  in commune (more than one person in a car). 

Table 7: Israeli Violations from September to November 1999  in the Gaza Strip 

Date	Violation	Location	Violators	Notes
16-Sep-1999	Leveling off the land in order to annex it to the nearby settlement of Gush Katif	Rafah -Al Mallahat farm	Settlers from Gush Katif	Area of expansion 20 dunums
28-Sep-1999	Establishment of a military point next to Kfar Darom settlement	Khan Younis -Road in Deir Al Balah	Settlers form Kfar Darom	The area is 0.15 dunums
30- Sep-1999	The annexation of a land owned by the family of Abu Shaloof to  connect between the settlements of Pe'at Sadeh and Mizp `Azmona.	Rafah – Piece 2370 -Parcel 1	Settlers from the two settlements.	Area of annexation is 70 dunums
01-Oct-1999	The construction of a sandy road connecting the settlement of Neve  Dekalim with a 200-dunum piece of land that the settlers took over a year  earlier. Plastic houses were constructed on the land ever since.	Rafah -Tul Jinan South of the settlement of Neve Dekalim	Settlers from Neve Dekalim	Area of construction 250 dunums
10- Oct -1999	Eviction order under the pretext that the land is a State Land.	Rafah -Tul Jinan Block 92 Parcel5	State Guardian	Area of the land is 12 dunums.
13- Oct -1999	Surrounded by an electronic fence in order to annex it to the  settlements of Gadid, Gan Or, Bedolah, Mizp `Azmona	Khan Younis	The settlers of these settlements	Area of expansion 2000 dunums
14-Oct-1999	Leveling off and planting the land for the benefit of the settlements of Katif and Netzar Hazzani	Khan Younis -Mawasi Al Qirara Block 89	The settlers of Katif and Netzar Hazzani	Area of the land is 1500 dunums
03-Oct-1999	Leveling off the lands with the intention of annexing it to the  settlement of Gannei Tal	Khan Younis – Al Amal neighborhood	The settlers of Gannei Tal	Area of the land is 100 dunums
14-Oct-1999	Prevention of completing a house.	Khan Younis – beach	The State Guardian	The house gave shelter to a 10-member family.
01-Nov-1999	The construction of two additional housing units in the settlement of Pe'at Sadeh	Rafah	The settlers of Pe'at Sadeh
05-Nov-1999	The construction of an 800-meter sandy road in order to annex  a 160-dunum land to the settlement of Pe'at Sadeh	Rafah	The settlers of Pe'at Sadeh	Area affected is 5 dunums.
14-Nov-1999	Leveling off the land in preparation to annex it to Pe'at Sadeh	Rafah -south of Pe'at Sadeh settlement	The settlers of Pe'at Sadeh.	Area of the land is 10 dunums

 Source: compiled from interviews and field surveying on the sites. 

 

House Demolition:

Location: Khan Younis Camp

Date: 23-11-1999

Demolishing Pretext: Building on State Land

No. of Houses: Six houses under construction

Names of House Owners: 1) Ayesh Mohamed Abu Sahlool (50 years)

2) Sami Hussein Abu Kharees (33 years)

3) Muneer Salman Abu Sahlool (35 years)

4) Ahmad and Hani Ali Al A'araj (24 & 27 years)

5) Ahmad and Ayman Abu Sahlool (25 year) 
 

In Depth Analysis of Key Events  

The Sharm El-Sheikh Memorandum

The Sharm El-Sheikh Memorandum had two important modifications  in the clauses addressing the redeployments. First, the two stages that remained  unimplemented in Wye were further split into three. Second, the redeployments  where scheduled to be concurrent with the final status talks and not precede them;  that puts the Palestinian negotiators at a disadvantage

The Sharm El-Sheikh Memorandum had two important modifications  in the clauses addressing the redeployments. First, the two stages that remained  unimplemented in Wye were further split into three. Second, the redeployments  where scheduled to be concurrent with the final status talks and not precede them;  that puts the Palestinian negotiators at a disadvantage

Unlike Oslo II, Wye River Memorandum and Sharm El-Sheikh Memorandum  mention percentages of redeployments without describing where those  redeployments are planned. The Wye River Memo states that 3% should be 'Nature  Reserves' and that 'Israeli officials acquaint their Palestinian counterparts  as required with areas' while Sharm El-Sheikh Memo doesn't mention the Nature  Reserves and succinctly talks of percentage 'transfers.' This meant that Israeli  officials would supply maps of the withdrawals only after the signing of the agreement.  Moreover, the area of the West Bank according to which the percentages are calculated  is not specified. The area of the West Bank is 5854 km2 and the total  area of the transfers from Area C to Area B is 384 km2. Dividing this  number by the former gives a percentage transfer of 6.56% and not 7% as the Sharm  El-Sheikh Memo claims. However, when one excludes East Jerusalem, the No Man's  land, and the territorial waters of the Dead Sea, the area of the West Bank becomes  5538 km2 and the percentage of the withdrawal dilates to 6.93%. Thus,  quite to the convenience of the Israeli authorities, the percentage transfers  (calculated over a smaller patch of land) appear larger than what they really  are. This distribution (as evident from the map) works well with Israel's plans  of cantonizing the West Bank. It totally avoids Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley,  it minimizes the transfers in Ramallah that has a sizable array of settlements, and  allocates the bulk of the withdrawals in arid areas of Hebron.

On the other hand, the new transfers have made Area B more  contiguous. For example, B and A areas south and west of Nablus have become connected.  However numerous Palestinian hamlets remscattered islands in a sea of 'C' areas  along the western parts of the Nablus and Ramallah districts. The Palestinian  villages of Nahalin and Skarya remain surrounded by Israeli settlements that continue  to encroach on them. It is important to note that, to the Israeli forces, transfers  from Area C to Area B do not form a significant change since security in 'B' areas  is still in Israeli hands. Yet to the settlers, these transferscomplicate their ability to create facts on the ground. For example, settler stopped a Palestinian land reclamation project in al-Khader village on the grounds  that it was located on an area designated as C. (Click for more)

However, what is most noteworthy in the new maps is the modification  of 'Area B'. Two regions that were designated as 'Area B' in The Wye River Memo  appear as 'Area C' in the Sharm El-Sheikh Memo maps. In the village of Walajeh  as well as in Abu Dis, areas that were previously designated as 'Area B' appeared  as 'Area C' in the new maps. See maps 
 

 

New Military Orders In the Wake Of Sharm El-Sheikh Memo

Just after the signing of the Sharm El-Sheikh Memo, 16 military  orders where distributed closing vast areas of the West Bank (See map). On the  5th of May 1999, 16 Israeli military orders were approved by the Israeli  military command sealing off large areas of land in the West Bank as closed training  grounds. However, the villagers were not informed of these orders until the 6th  of September 1999 (i.e. after the signing of the Sharm El Sheikh Memorandum which  was on the 4th of September 1999). Yet the closures overlap areas designated as  'Area B' in Sharm El-Sheikh Memo. In fact, it was only after a massive public  uproar that the Israeli authorities issued new orders correcting the overlap in  areas designated as Area B.

 

Moreover, a number of Palestinian houses are threatened with  demolition despite the fact that they lie in 'Area B' (Click for more). In addition, the  military orders specifically state that the closure does not apply to persons  living within the designated area. Nevertheless, several people living within  the closure area were ordered to leave. Usually, the closing of an area for military  training is limited by a specific time period; these 16 orders are open-ended.  Thus, claiming that these orders are administrative and routine (i.e. independent  of political developments) is invalid.

Since most of the land is agricultural, these live-fire-training  grounds affect Palestinian families that make their living from agriculture and  livestock. Moreover, the proximity of the closures to Palestinian built up areas  impedes their development and natural growth.

Table 8: The military orders issued after the Sharm El-Sheikh  Memorandum.

No. of military order	Area in dunum	Location	Notes
1/S/99	.	Al-Sawahreh, Nabi Musa, Khan Al-Ahmar, Abu Dis, Al-Ezzariya,  Al-Obeidieh, Arab Al-Taamre, Arab Al-Rashaideh, Sair, Bani Naim, Yatta, Arab Al-Jahalin.	Map not available.
2/S/99			missing
3/S/99		Ne'ma, Al-Auja.	Map not available.
4/S/99	.	Duma, Al-Mugheir, Al-Auja, Kufr Malek, Deir Jarir, Al-Taiba.	Map not available.
5/S/99		Al-Mugheir, Raba, Tubas, Bardala, Tayaseer.	Map not available.
6/S/99	>472000	Yatta, Bani Naim.	The map does not show all the closed area. The area appearing  in the incomplete map is over 472000 dunums. Click for more.
7/S/99		Aqraba, Beit Furik, Beit Dajan, Yanun, Majdal Bani Fadel, Fasayel,  Ghor Al-Far'a.	Map not available.
8/S/99		Talouza, Beit Dajan, Beit Furik, Yanun, Aqraba.	Map not available.
9/S/99		Tubas, Tammoun, Beit Dajan, Ghor Al-Far'a.	Map not available.
10/S/99		Tubas.	Map not available.
11/S/99		Tayaseer, Tubas, Tammoun.	Map not available.
12/S/99	29000	Iskaka, Salfit, Libban Al-Sharkiya, Ammouriya, Khirbet Qeis,  Arura, Abwein.	This order is a reaffirmation of the previous order no. 2/S/83.  The area was obtained from the Palestinian authorities.
13/S/99		Deir Ibzi', Saffa, Kufr Ne'ma, Beit Or	Map not available.
14/S/99	7900	Edna, Khirbet Jamrura	Click for more. The area was calculated by the GIS unit ARIJ,  1999.
15/S/99	19000	Tel, Imatin, Zita, Asira Qiblieh, Jama'in, Dir Istia	This order is a reaffirmation of the previous order no. 4/S/82. The area was obtained from the Palestinian authorities.
16/S/99	14500	Beit Ula, Nuba, Haras, Khirbet Jamrura	This order is a reaffirmation of the previous order no. 1/S/95.  Click for more. The area was calculated by the GIS unit ARIJ, 1999.

Source: The military orders received by the District Coordination  Offices (DCOs). 

The 'Illegal' Outposts

In a bid to show that its policy is different from that of  the preceding government, Barak's government revised the status of 42 (independent  sources report 45) colonial outposts established after the signing of the Wye  River Memo. The military establishment had advised Barak to dismantle 15 of the  42 outposts since they had legal problems:

• 8 outposts had proper permits,

• 27 had improper or incomplete permits,

• 7 had no permits at all.

Nevertheless, on October 13th a compromise was  reached between the government and the Yesha council (speaking on behalf of the  settlers) over the fate of those outposts. The number of outposts slated for  removal were narrowed down to ten of which:

• 5 were empty or unmanned sites (i.e. containers or water tanks),

• 3 relocated to nearby sites,

• 2 to be evacuated at a later time.

• Thus 32 outposts remained. 

Table 9: Survey of settlement Outposts 1996 – 1999

#	Mother settlement	Outpost	Structures on Site
1	Avnei Hefetz	(Eastern Caravans)	18
2	Itamar	Gidonim	29
3		Gidonim A (Hill 851)	23
4		Gvaot Olamn (Avri Ran's Farm)	8
5		Hil Neighborhood (Hill 777)	7
6		Hill 782	5
7	Elkana	Magen Dan	18
8	Elon More	Har Kabir	2
9	Allon Shevut	Givat Ha'hish	7
10	Bracha	Bracha A	19
11		Sneh Ya'akov	3
12	Bet Ain	Bet Ain B	20
13	Halamish	Zofit Farm	25
14	Talmon South	(Eastern Caravans)	38
15	Talmon North	Horesh Yaron	20
16		Haresha	17
17		Zayit Ra'anan	1
18	Yizhar	Eastern Hill	14
19		Ahuzat Shalhevet	4
20	Kokhav haShahar	Mizpe Keramim	11
21	El David	Sdeh Bar Farm	16
22	Maon	Misgav Dov Neighborhood	6
23		Maon Farm	6
24	Maale Mikhmas	Mizpe Dani	15
25		Mizpe Hagit	7
26		Neve Erez	8
27	Ma'ale Amos	Ivei Ha'nachal	29
28	Susiya	Magen David Farm	4
29	Mezadot Yehuda	Nof Nesher	6
30	Tene Omarim	(South Eastern Caravans)	7
31		(Northern Caravans)	9
32	Eli	Nof Harim	41
33		Ha'yovel Neighborhood	12
34		Mizpe Shuna	2
35	Ofra	Amona	17
36	Kedumim	Har Hemed	18
37	Karne Shomron	Nof Kane Farm	11
38	Shevut Rachel	Ahiya (Hill D)	15
39		Adi Ad (Hill F, Hill 799)	11
40	Shilo	Givat Harel (Hill 740)	12
41	Kfar Tapuah	Hill 660	1
42	Shevut Rachel	Hill 804	N/A
43		Hill 827	N/A
44	Kiryat Arba	Site 26	N/A
45		Site 5152	N/A

 Source: Data compiled from Survey of Illegal Outposts 1996-1999,  Peace Now, October 1999 and settlement Outposts Established During The Likud Party ,  Arab Studies Society, 1999. 

Conclusion

The Barak government came to power with the promise of achieving  peace. At first glance the actions of that government give the impression of working  for peace. However, the government's policies were not whole-hearted nor were  they free of any illusions. Just after signing the Sharm El-Sheikh Memo, 16 military  orders were issued closing off large areas of land. The government announced  a revision of the status of 42 outposts built under the previous government only  to fix 32 of them while the media's attention is diverted to the removal of one.  The rate of housing units approved was faster than that of the previous governments.

Israel continues to violate Palestinian rights (be it political,  financial, civil, or human) as the last thirty-three years of killing, arrest,  colonizing, and house demolishing stand witness to. Up to today, Palestinians  in the West Bank are suffering from the discriminatory and brutal policies practiced  by the successive Israeli governments. This is the situation despite the fact  that it has been almost seven years since the start of the peace process in Madrid  and six years since the signing of the Declaration of Principals.

 

 

 

Prepared by:
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem

&

 The Land Research Center
LRC