5 nov 2017
By Issam Aruri
In recent months, the security and humanitarian situation in Palestine has deteriorated considerably. Palestinian human rights organisations have documented unprecedented settlement expansion, emboldened by the international community's continued hand-wringing in the face of Israel's violations of international law.
Just last week, 176 new settlement units were announced to be built in occupied East Jerusalem. Residency revocations for Palestinians in Jerusalem are on the rise, forcing people out of their lifelong communities.
And now, the Knesset is considering an unprecedented bill that would annex some of the West Bank's largest illegal settlements to Jerusalem.
Demographic change
Dubbed the "Greater Jerusalem" Bill, it constitutes a de facto annexation of settlements built on occupied Palestinian land and regarded as illegal by international law and the European Union.
Among the settlements included in the bill is Ma'aleh Adumim, the largest settlement in the Jerusalem area and the Gush Etzion settlement cluster. The bill is sponsored by a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right–wing Likud party and enjoys his backing.
We must be clear that the Greater Jerusalem Bill is an exercise in demographic change through annexation. Under the Bill, the settlements' over 150,000 inhabitants would be considered residents of Jerusalem, enabling them to vote in and sway municipal elections.
It will also downgrade the status of three Palestinian neighbourhoods in Jerusalem, demoting the status of the approximately 100,000 Palestinians who live there - essentially creating Jerusalem's own Bantustans.
The bill's intention, according to its authors, Israeli Knesset Minister Yoav Kish and Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, is two-fold: to increase the proportion of Jews to Palestinians in Jerusalem to ensure Jewish dominance of the city, and territorial expansion.
Katz openly expressed his intention for the bill to "ensure a Jewish majority in the united city and to expand its borders by adding 150,000 residents to the area of a greater Jerusalem," adding that it would serve to challenge all who question the Jewish people’s right to the whole of Jerusalem as the capital of a Jewish homeland.
Netanyahu voiced his support for the bill in October, indicating that the bill will pass quickly and with the government's blessing.
De-facto annexation
Demographic engineering is in clear violation of international law, as it uses manipulation of the makeup of the civilian population to accomplish political goals. Currently, Palestinians make up nearly 40 percent the population of Jerusalem.
If the bill passes, the addition of settler populations into Jerusalem's census will reduce that percentage to 32 percent. It is a sinister way of ensuring that Jerusalem is washed of its Palestinian identity and, by extension, Palestinian rights and interests, while still calling itself democratic.
Enacting laws that are anti-democratic or violate international law, however, is not a rarity for Israel. This January, the Knesset passed a law that retroactively legalises Israeli outposts built on private Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank.
International calls to abandon the "Regularisation Law" proved futile as the Knesset rapidly moved to pass it.
Palestinian human rights organisations, including my organisation, the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC), are concerned that the Great Jerusalem Bill could face an eerily similar fate with public outcry and condemnations proving to be little more than lip service that only delays the inevitable.
Palestinians have had their human rights trampled upon systematically throughout the prolonged military occupation. We have lost huge swathes of our lands and had our communities fragmented. We have been warning for years that Israel's actions amount to de-facto annexation.
With the passage of the Greater Jerusalem Bill, our warnings would become a codified reality.
Genuine action
This should sound an alarm to European officials. Not only do these actions undermine UN Security Council resolutions and EU Foreign Affairs Council conclusions, they erode the potency of international law as a whole. More so, they destroy the prospects of peace.
Despite discussions about renewing the peace talks, and the Palestinian reconciliation agreement signed in Cairo last month, measures like the Greater Jerusalem Bill undo any positive steps made toward solving the conflict.
On Sunday, Israel's Ministerial Committee for Legislation delayed its vote on the bill to reportedly allow time for "diplomatic preparation". European officials should seize the time offered by the delay to unequivocally condemn the Greater Jerusalem Bill and spell out the diplomatic consequences of its passage.
This time, we need more than measured consideration and public statements. We need genuine action.
There are very real steps officials can take to pressure Israel to act in accordance with international law. They include an end to preferential trade agreements so long as settlement activity continues and support for accountability mechanisms.
Given the serious prospect of annexation, the European Commission should immediately halt any discussion about holding the EU-Israel Association Council.
If the international community continues to remain silent in the face of Israeli violations, it will be very hard to undo the damage being done to the prospects of achieving justice and peace.
European officials must stand tall and take the lead to stop the Greater Jerusalem Bill.
- Issam Aruri is the General Director of the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC). He is a founding member of the Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO), which is a coalition of 140 Palestinian civil society organisations. His article was published in the Middle East Eye website.
In recent months, the security and humanitarian situation in Palestine has deteriorated considerably. Palestinian human rights organisations have documented unprecedented settlement expansion, emboldened by the international community's continued hand-wringing in the face of Israel's violations of international law.
Just last week, 176 new settlement units were announced to be built in occupied East Jerusalem. Residency revocations for Palestinians in Jerusalem are on the rise, forcing people out of their lifelong communities.
And now, the Knesset is considering an unprecedented bill that would annex some of the West Bank's largest illegal settlements to Jerusalem.
Demographic change
Dubbed the "Greater Jerusalem" Bill, it constitutes a de facto annexation of settlements built on occupied Palestinian land and regarded as illegal by international law and the European Union.
Among the settlements included in the bill is Ma'aleh Adumim, the largest settlement in the Jerusalem area and the Gush Etzion settlement cluster. The bill is sponsored by a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right–wing Likud party and enjoys his backing.
We must be clear that the Greater Jerusalem Bill is an exercise in demographic change through annexation. Under the Bill, the settlements' over 150,000 inhabitants would be considered residents of Jerusalem, enabling them to vote in and sway municipal elections.
It will also downgrade the status of three Palestinian neighbourhoods in Jerusalem, demoting the status of the approximately 100,000 Palestinians who live there - essentially creating Jerusalem's own Bantustans.
The bill's intention, according to its authors, Israeli Knesset Minister Yoav Kish and Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, is two-fold: to increase the proportion of Jews to Palestinians in Jerusalem to ensure Jewish dominance of the city, and territorial expansion.
Katz openly expressed his intention for the bill to "ensure a Jewish majority in the united city and to expand its borders by adding 150,000 residents to the area of a greater Jerusalem," adding that it would serve to challenge all who question the Jewish people’s right to the whole of Jerusalem as the capital of a Jewish homeland.
Netanyahu voiced his support for the bill in October, indicating that the bill will pass quickly and with the government's blessing.
De-facto annexation
Demographic engineering is in clear violation of international law, as it uses manipulation of the makeup of the civilian population to accomplish political goals. Currently, Palestinians make up nearly 40 percent the population of Jerusalem.
If the bill passes, the addition of settler populations into Jerusalem's census will reduce that percentage to 32 percent. It is a sinister way of ensuring that Jerusalem is washed of its Palestinian identity and, by extension, Palestinian rights and interests, while still calling itself democratic.
Enacting laws that are anti-democratic or violate international law, however, is not a rarity for Israel. This January, the Knesset passed a law that retroactively legalises Israeli outposts built on private Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank.
International calls to abandon the "Regularisation Law" proved futile as the Knesset rapidly moved to pass it.
Palestinian human rights organisations, including my organisation, the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC), are concerned that the Great Jerusalem Bill could face an eerily similar fate with public outcry and condemnations proving to be little more than lip service that only delays the inevitable.
Palestinians have had their human rights trampled upon systematically throughout the prolonged military occupation. We have lost huge swathes of our lands and had our communities fragmented. We have been warning for years that Israel's actions amount to de-facto annexation.
With the passage of the Greater Jerusalem Bill, our warnings would become a codified reality.
Genuine action
This should sound an alarm to European officials. Not only do these actions undermine UN Security Council resolutions and EU Foreign Affairs Council conclusions, they erode the potency of international law as a whole. More so, they destroy the prospects of peace.
Despite discussions about renewing the peace talks, and the Palestinian reconciliation agreement signed in Cairo last month, measures like the Greater Jerusalem Bill undo any positive steps made toward solving the conflict.
On Sunday, Israel's Ministerial Committee for Legislation delayed its vote on the bill to reportedly allow time for "diplomatic preparation". European officials should seize the time offered by the delay to unequivocally condemn the Greater Jerusalem Bill and spell out the diplomatic consequences of its passage.
This time, we need more than measured consideration and public statements. We need genuine action.
There are very real steps officials can take to pressure Israel to act in accordance with international law. They include an end to preferential trade agreements so long as settlement activity continues and support for accountability mechanisms.
Given the serious prospect of annexation, the European Commission should immediately halt any discussion about holding the EU-Israel Association Council.
If the international community continues to remain silent in the face of Israeli violations, it will be very hard to undo the damage being done to the prospects of achieving justice and peace.
European officials must stand tall and take the lead to stop the Greater Jerusalem Bill.
- Issam Aruri is the General Director of the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC). He is a founding member of the Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO), which is a coalition of 140 Palestinian civil society organisations. His article was published in the Middle East Eye website.
3 nov 2017
The Israeli occupation forces leveled Palestinian lands west of Salfit province, in the West Bank, in favor of illegal settlement expansion.
Eyewitnesses told the PIC that Israeli bulldozers and excavators rolled into Salfit and razed Palestinian land tracts near the industrial zone of Israel’s Ariel settlement.
The move makes part of an Israeli plan to build new factories and expand old ones near the archaeological village of Kerkesh, Batn al-Hamam, and Haris village.
Researcher Khaled Maali sounded the alarm over the ecological damage and life-threatening diseases wrought by the factories built by the Israeli occupation authorities in the area.
He added that Ariel outpost is made up of industrial and residential areas. Three more industrial zones have also been built by the occupation authorities in Salfit.
Sometime earlier, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Gush Etzion, Ariel, Maaleh Adumim, and Beit El settlement blocs are and will forever remain part and parcel of Israel.
Eyewitnesses told the PIC that Israeli bulldozers and excavators rolled into Salfit and razed Palestinian land tracts near the industrial zone of Israel’s Ariel settlement.
The move makes part of an Israeli plan to build new factories and expand old ones near the archaeological village of Kerkesh, Batn al-Hamam, and Haris village.
Researcher Khaled Maali sounded the alarm over the ecological damage and life-threatening diseases wrought by the factories built by the Israeli occupation authorities in the area.
He added that Ariel outpost is made up of industrial and residential areas. Three more industrial zones have also been built by the occupation authorities in Salfit.
Sometime earlier, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Gush Etzion, Ariel, Maaleh Adumim, and Beit El settlement blocs are and will forever remain part and parcel of Israel.
1 nov 2017
With a sigh of sadness, Palestinian farmer Abdullah Mar’ee looked at his annexed plot of land in Farkha village, west of Salfit, which was once an olive grove before Israel took it over along with other vast tracts of Palestinian land and built large factories in their place.
“We planted olive saplings on 25 dunums of land in Karm Ashour area, west of Salfit, and we were happy with them, especially when we saw them starting to yield olive fruits of the Nabali type, but all of a sudden, the settlement of Ariel encroached on our land,” Abu Mar’ee said.
“They built a factory for cosmetics, another for sweets and a huge iron plant, and their bulldozers are still embarking on razing more lands belonging to us and others,” he added.
The farmer also accused the Israeli army of suppressing marches protesting Israel’s settlement activities and land grabs in the agricultural areas of Salfit.
“The occupation already quelled marches and some farmers protested near Beit El, but to no avail. They claim they are state lands and sometimes they provide security pretexts or say those lands are located in Area C to justify the annexation of Palestinian lands,” Mar’ee stated.
“Until today, there are bulldozers belonging to settlers razing and devouring lands, whether in agricultural or pastoral areas.”
“The settlement expansion reduced grazing areas and led to a decline in the number of livestock. Small rock-hewn pools in the area were also destroyed, particularly near the archaeological village of Qarqash.”
Israel’s expansion of industrial zones
For his part, specialist in settlement affairs Khalid Maali has also affirmed that the industrial zone of Ariel settlement in Salfit is encroaching and expanding around the clock.
According to him, there are three industrial zones established on agricultural and pastoral lands belonging to local residents in Salfit province.
The Israeli authorities also plan to seize more Palestinian lands in Salfit to expand its industrial zones and build others, with no regard to the negative impacts of its settlement expansion on the lives of local residents, Maali warns.
“We planted olive saplings on 25 dunums of land in Karm Ashour area, west of Salfit, and we were happy with them, especially when we saw them starting to yield olive fruits of the Nabali type, but all of a sudden, the settlement of Ariel encroached on our land,” Abu Mar’ee said.
“They built a factory for cosmetics, another for sweets and a huge iron plant, and their bulldozers are still embarking on razing more lands belonging to us and others,” he added.
The farmer also accused the Israeli army of suppressing marches protesting Israel’s settlement activities and land grabs in the agricultural areas of Salfit.
“The occupation already quelled marches and some farmers protested near Beit El, but to no avail. They claim they are state lands and sometimes they provide security pretexts or say those lands are located in Area C to justify the annexation of Palestinian lands,” Mar’ee stated.
“Until today, there are bulldozers belonging to settlers razing and devouring lands, whether in agricultural or pastoral areas.”
“The settlement expansion reduced grazing areas and led to a decline in the number of livestock. Small rock-hewn pools in the area were also destroyed, particularly near the archaeological village of Qarqash.”
Israel’s expansion of industrial zones
For his part, specialist in settlement affairs Khalid Maali has also affirmed that the industrial zone of Ariel settlement in Salfit is encroaching and expanding around the clock.
According to him, there are three industrial zones established on agricultural and pastoral lands belonging to local residents in Salfit province.
The Israeli authorities also plan to seize more Palestinian lands in Salfit to expand its industrial zones and build others, with no regard to the negative impacts of its settlement expansion on the lives of local residents, Maali warns.
Israel's Transportation Minister, Yisrael Katz, on Wednesday opened a new settlement road in al-Khalil, the Hebrew TV channel Seven reported.
The TV channel said that highway 316, which was funded by the Israeli Transportation Ministry, was established to link between the settlements of al-Khalil and Beersheba and Negev.
It pointed out that the project involved rehabilitating the road, installing street lights, building a new transit station and doubling the number of public transport vehicles.
Katz said that the new road has a "strategic importance" and noted that his Ministry is planning to expand the bypass road 60 within a five-year plan which would help bring more Jewish settlers to the area.
He added that the Ministry is preparing for the establishment of extensive infrastructure across the West Bank that includes building new roads, rehabilitating existing ones, and bringing more modern and safe transport vehicles.
The Israeli government in the recent months has stepped up its settlement projects in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The international community considers settlements, whether they have the approval of the Israeli government or not, illegal and sees them as a major obstacle to the peace process and the two-state solution.
The TV channel said that highway 316, which was funded by the Israeli Transportation Ministry, was established to link between the settlements of al-Khalil and Beersheba and Negev.
It pointed out that the project involved rehabilitating the road, installing street lights, building a new transit station and doubling the number of public transport vehicles.
Katz said that the new road has a "strategic importance" and noted that his Ministry is planning to expand the bypass road 60 within a five-year plan which would help bring more Jewish settlers to the area.
He added that the Ministry is preparing for the establishment of extensive infrastructure across the West Bank that includes building new roads, rehabilitating existing ones, and bringing more modern and safe transport vehicles.
The Israeli government in the recent months has stepped up its settlement projects in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The international community considers settlements, whether they have the approval of the Israeli government or not, illegal and sees them as a major obstacle to the peace process and the two-state solution.
Mayor of the Jerusalem municipality, Nir Barkat, has announced a plan for the construction of a new Israeli settlement, in a neighborhood of occupied Jerusalem.
Barakat explained that the center includes the establishment of a high-tech village, with surprising residential and recreational entertainment in a central location above the highway, in Jerusalem.
He pointed out, according to the PNN, that a huge park will be built on an area of 70 hectares, around the entertainment center, walking trails, green spaces, cafes and a communication center between the government complex and the Hebrew University.
He pointed out that another area will be built on, which will see 830 new housing units, including 50% of the small housing units for young families in the city, according to his vision, 25 settler units protected and about 13,390 square meters of retail space and public spaces.
Barkat noted that the plan will be submitted, for the first time, in two weeks, for approval by the Jerusalem Local Planning and Building Committee.
He said, “We are constantly increasing the resources for developing the neighborhoods and advancing the quality of life there. Over the next few years, the residents of the city’s neighborhoods will enjoy new and advanced infrastructure, swimming pools, sports fields, event halls, day-care centers and many other initiatives.”
Barakat explained that the center includes the establishment of a high-tech village, with surprising residential and recreational entertainment in a central location above the highway, in Jerusalem.
He pointed out, according to the PNN, that a huge park will be built on an area of 70 hectares, around the entertainment center, walking trails, green spaces, cafes and a communication center between the government complex and the Hebrew University.
He pointed out that another area will be built on, which will see 830 new housing units, including 50% of the small housing units for young families in the city, according to his vision, 25 settler units protected and about 13,390 square meters of retail space and public spaces.
Barkat noted that the plan will be submitted, for the first time, in two weeks, for approval by the Jerusalem Local Planning and Building Committee.
He said, “We are constantly increasing the resources for developing the neighborhoods and advancing the quality of life there. Over the next few years, the residents of the city’s neighborhoods will enjoy new and advanced infrastructure, swimming pools, sports fields, event halls, day-care centers and many other initiatives.”
29 oct 2017
A US official on Sunday expressed the US administration's opposition to the Israeli government's vote on a controversial bill that entails a de facto annexation of West Bank settlements to Jerusalem.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the US is discouraging the actions that it believes will distract the concerned parties from focusing on the advancement of peace negotiations.
He continued that the Jerusalem expansion bill is considered one of those actions, Reuters reported.
Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Sunday decided to delay the vote on a draft law to include a number of West Bank settlements under the Israeli-controlled Jerusalem municipality.
Chairman of the Israeli government coalition, David Bitan, announced, based on Netanyahu's instructions, that the vote on Greater Jerusalem bill will be delayed until political coordination with the US is made despite that fact that a ministerial committee was scheduled to vote on the bill on Sunday to expedite its submission to the Knesset to be ratified.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the US is discouraging the actions that it believes will distract the concerned parties from focusing on the advancement of peace negotiations.
He continued that the Jerusalem expansion bill is considered one of those actions, Reuters reported.
Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Sunday decided to delay the vote on a draft law to include a number of West Bank settlements under the Israeli-controlled Jerusalem municipality.
Chairman of the Israeli government coalition, David Bitan, announced, based on Netanyahu's instructions, that the vote on Greater Jerusalem bill will be delayed until political coordination with the US is made despite that fact that a ministerial committee was scheduled to vote on the bill on Sunday to expedite its submission to the Knesset to be ratified.
Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Sunday decided to delay vote on a proposed bill that entails the annexation of West Bank settlements to Jerusalem.
Chairman of the Israeli government coalition, David Bitan, said that the vote on Greater Jerusalem bill will be delayed until political coordination with the US is made based on Netanyahu's instructions.
A ministerial committee was scheduled to vote on Greater Jerusalem bill on Sunday to expedite its submission to the Knesset to be ratified.
Ma'ariv newspaper reported that Netanyahu fears that passing the bill without coordination might affect the Israel-US relations as well as his expected visit to Britain next Wednesday where he is scheduled to meet with Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May.
Greater Jerusalem bill, initiated by Israel's Transportation and Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz, and authored by MK Yoav Kisch, is aimed at including the settlements of Ma'ale Adumim, Beitar Illit, Giv'at Ze'ev, Gush Etzion and Efrat under the Israeli Jerusalem municipality.
Based on the bill, the settlements will become sub-municipalities of Jerusalem and their residents will be given the right to vote in municipal elections.
According to Israeli officials, 2017 will witness the approval of 12,000 settlement units in the West Bank. Statistics indicate that Israel's settlement activity in 2017 is over four times higher than 2016.
Such Israeli racist laws spark massive waves of condemnation among Palestinians and the international community.
Chairman of the Israeli government coalition, David Bitan, said that the vote on Greater Jerusalem bill will be delayed until political coordination with the US is made based on Netanyahu's instructions.
A ministerial committee was scheduled to vote on Greater Jerusalem bill on Sunday to expedite its submission to the Knesset to be ratified.
Ma'ariv newspaper reported that Netanyahu fears that passing the bill without coordination might affect the Israel-US relations as well as his expected visit to Britain next Wednesday where he is scheduled to meet with Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May.
Greater Jerusalem bill, initiated by Israel's Transportation and Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz, and authored by MK Yoav Kisch, is aimed at including the settlements of Ma'ale Adumim, Beitar Illit, Giv'at Ze'ev, Gush Etzion and Efrat under the Israeli Jerusalem municipality.
Based on the bill, the settlements will become sub-municipalities of Jerusalem and their residents will be given the right to vote in municipal elections.
According to Israeli officials, 2017 will witness the approval of 12,000 settlement units in the West Bank. Statistics indicate that Israel's settlement activity in 2017 is over four times higher than 2016.
Such Israeli racist laws spark massive waves of condemnation among Palestinians and the international community.
28 oct 2017
The Israeli Civil Administration's High Planning Committee has recently approved the reconstruction of 581 new settler units in Maale Adumim settlement, in northern occupied Jerusalem.
Kol Ha'ir Hebrew newspaper affirmed that the decision was taken following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the settlement during the Jewish Throne Day.
The plan includes the construction of 459 settlement units in Kedem Square, 104 others in Hageit Street, and 18 settler units in Magdim neighborhood.
The paper also revealed that NIS 80 million was allocated for the construction of public buildings in east Jerusalem settlements.
Kol Ha'ir Hebrew newspaper affirmed that the decision was taken following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the settlement during the Jewish Throne Day.
The plan includes the construction of 459 settlement units in Kedem Square, 104 others in Hageit Street, and 18 settler units in Magdim neighborhood.
The paper also revealed that NIS 80 million was allocated for the construction of public buildings in east Jerusalem settlements.
