“Impairing the peace process”
​Expediting expansion in Ramot settlement northwest of Jerusalem

The ever-expanding Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and in particular in occupied East Jerusalem is always met with strong condemnation from the international community; however, the Israeli government continues to encourage building of settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) by giving incentives to settlers, including housing subsidies and income tax reductions, as well as encouraging settlers to take over lands and properties in very strategic locations in the oPt and facilitating the process of issuing building permits to Israeli settlements despite the fact that its existence stands in violation of the international law. In return, these policies increased the Israeli settlements’ area in the oPt from 69 km² in 1990, to 196km² in 2015, (ARIJ 2015) and consequently the number of Israeli settlers went from 240,000 in 1990 to more than 750, 000 in 2015 (ARIJ, 2015).

Ramot (Ramot Allon) is just one settlement among many other settlements in the occupied West Bank[1] that is being fattened by the successive Israeli Governments on the expanse of the neighboring Palestinian lands and most specifically, the lands of Beit Hanina, Shu’fat, Beit Iksa and An Nabi’ Samuel in Jerusalem Governorate. The settlement was established in 1973. It occupies a total land area of 3101 dunums and is home to more than 47,000 Israeli settlers.

On the 23rd of February 2016, the Israeli planning committee at the Municipality of Jerusalem deposited – for-discussion- a new expansion plan for Ramot (Ramot Allon) settlement northwest of Jerusalem city. The plan, as reported by Ir-Amim organization[2], is intended to add 57 new more units to a previously deposited plan, known as TPS No. 6576.

In fact, over the years of the Israeli occupation, Israel presented Ramot (Ramot Allon) settlement with building plans and tenders that contributed much to its rapid expansion. Israel also reserved land for the settlement’s future development either by denying access to Palestinian to their lands or by declaring lands surrounding the settlement as “Green Areas”. This in turn, has blocked off the way for Palestinians to expand in the future and consequently cut off the Palestinian geographical contiguity. Below is a list of plans that were issued in Ramot (Ramot Allon) settlement for the purpose of expanding it.

TPS No. 1861:

This was the first town planning scheme (TPS) issued for Ramot (Ramot Allon) settlement in Jerusalem Governorate which included the development of an urban residential construction with all issues related to it on lands of Beit Hanina, Shu’fat, Beit Iksa and An Nabi’ Samuel in Jerusalem Governorate . The TPS of the settlement was first deposited in October 1975 and stated the construction of the settlement over 2928 dunums of land to encompass up to 8,000 settlement apartments that time. See Photo 1

Photo 1: Israeli TPS 1861 – Base map of Ramot Settlement

Under TPS No. 1861, the base of all plans, Israel commenced the construction in Ramot settlement and several plans and tenders were issued afterwards for that purpose. Listed below are some details of the available major plans that were issued in the settlement of Ramot:-

Map 1: Tendered Plans in Ramot settlements, northwest of Jerusalem city

To sum up,

Settlement construction is an impediment to Peace and has always stood in the way of achieving a just and lasting peace agreement with the Palestinians. Israel's construction of settlements and all related activities forces 'irreversible facts’ on the ground and manipulate the geographic and demographic balance of the occupied territory, particularly in occupied East Jerusalem in violation of international law and United Nations Security Council Resolutions: 446 (1979), 452 (1979), and 465 (1980), among others.;

UN Security Council Resolution 446 March 22, 1979 calls on Israel ‘to rescind its previous measures and to desist from taking any action which would result in changing the legal status and geographical nature and materially affecting the demographic composition of the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem and, in particular, not to transfer parts of its own civilian population into the occupied Arab territories'

UN Security Council resolution 452 of the 1979 “calls upon the Government and people of Israel to cease, on an urgent basis, the establishment, construction and planning of settlements in the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem”.

Un Security Council resolution 465,

• “Strongly deplores the continuation and persistence of Israel in pursuing those policies and practices and calls upon the Government and people of Israel to rescind those measures, to dismantle the existing settlements and in particular to cease, on an urgent basis, the establishment, construction and planning of settlements in the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem”;
• Calls upon all States not to provide Israel with any assistance to be used specifically in connexion with settlements in the occupied territories;

UN Security Council resolution  242, Affirms that “the fulfillment of Charter principles requires the establishment of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East which should include the application of both the following principles:

(i) Withdrawal of Israel armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict;
(ii) Termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgment of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every State in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force;

Article XXXI of the 1995 Oslo agreement provides that:  Israel is forbidden from building or planning to any project or settlements or any colonial expansion or any plan that lead to change the status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The article provides “Neither side shall initiate or take any step that will change the status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip pending the outcome of the permanent status negotiations”.

Furthermore the Fourth Geneva Convention also states in Article 49 that “The occupying power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own population into the territories it occupies.”

[1] The number of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank is 196.
[2] New plan in Ramot to increase number of housing units under previously tendered plan
http://www.altro.co.il/newsletters/show/8633?key=eed4e81c9439caa0caa323b11078d9e9&value=9a3cdcd0e38da468aea5b504ce87c7a2d1ce4fef:1260978

[3] "Mordot Ramot" 
A unique Green area to be replaced by a colonial neighborhood
http://www.old.poica.org/details.php?Article=8675

Prepared by:
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem