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Israel, Palestine and the Occupied Territories: Land and Settlement Issues
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Back to Current Articles2003
UN Chief Denounces West Bank Barrier (November 29, 2003)
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan criticized Israel for continuing to build a "security fence" in the West Bank, calling it "a deeply counterproductive act" against the peace process. The fence will lessen Palestinian access to jobs, schools and markets. (New York Times)A Wall by Any Other Name (November 3, 2003)
American poet Robert Frost asked, "Do good fences really make good neighbors?" In this article from Foreign Policy in Focus, the author asks this question about the Israeli "security fence," and warns that creating barriers can also create unintended consequences.Israel to Keep Building Barrier Despite UN Censure (October 22, 2003)
The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly condemned the Israeli "security fence" as a violation of international law. The Israeli deputy prime minister called the General Assembly vote the act of a "misguided" and "hostile" majority. (Reuters)One State: Threat or Promise of Peace? (October 22, 2003)
The former ambassador of Jordan to the UN argues that continuing Israeli occupation, creation of settlements and construction of the "security fence" imperils a viable two-state solution. Yet he argues that "Israel is enforcing the one state option by making it the last and only option." (Jordan Times)US Vetoes Resolution Condemning Israeli Security Wall (October 15, 2003)
US Ambassador John Negroponte defended the US veto of the draft resolution condemning the wall, calling it unbalanced and insisting that the road map offers the best hope for peace. The Palestinian representative to the UN and other member states argue that construction of the wall negates the road map. (Agence France Presse)The Cost of Israeli Settlements (October 3, 2003)
An investigative piece in Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz revealed that settlements have cost $10 billion since 1967. This New York Times editorial urges a settlement freeze to stop exorbitant spending, but more importantly to demonstrate firm commitment to a peace process in danger of derailment.Another Kind of Road Map: Living on the Edge (September 29, 2003)
The Israeli government has already started construction on the "separation fence" that will ostensibly protect the security of the Israeli state. This article from Yellow Times provides detailed information about current and future ramifications of the structure.Final Status in the Shape of a Wall (September 3, 2003)
According to the Middle East Research and Information Project, the Israeli government masks its territorial ambitions under the guise of security in constructing a “security fence.” A Palestinian NGO estimates that the completed barrier will be twice the length of the internationally recognized Green Line between Israel and the West Bank.Arafat Tells Haaretz: “The Wall is Ruining the New Middle East” (August 6, 2003)
Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the Palestinian Authority, comments on the fate of Palestinians in Iraq, the “West Bank wall” and other issues in a Haaretz interview.Treating the Symptoms Instead of the Cause (July 31, 2003)
Former Indian Ambassador K Gajendra Singh highlights significant issues from the Washington meetings between US President George Bush and Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Official statements about the “security fence” or “separation wall” prove that semantic differences play a small but crucial role in the uncertain future of the road map. (Asia Times)The Israeli-Palestinian Roadmap: What a Settlement Freeze Means and Why it Matters (July 25, 2003)
A report by International Crisis Group argues that the Israeli governement must freeze settlements to sustain the legitimacy of the road map. The report also provides recommendations to other Quartet members to ensure the realization of the settlement freeze.Donkey Power Is King on Restricted West Bank (July 22, 2003)
Since the start of the intifada, the Israeli army has established numerous West Bank roadblocks that substantially limit Palestinian mobility. As a result, Palestinians increasingly use donkeys to transport goods around roadblocks. “The Israelis have sent us back 100 years,” remarks a contractor-turned-donkey trader. (Christian Science Monitor)A Proposal to Solve the Settler and Refugee Problems (July 21, 2003)
An editorial in the International Herald Tribune argues that “it is time to break taboos” to revitalize the road map. The Bush administration must urge 200,000 Israeli settlers to resettle in Israel proper, and it must draw attention to a controversial poll reflecting Palestinian opinion about refugee issues.The End of the Two-State Solution? (July 18, 2003)
A proposed “separation fence” will envelop Palestinian territory in the West Bank and decimate the chance for a viable Palestinian state. Former Palestinian negotiator Ahmad Samih Khalidi urges US President George Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair to consider the implications of the fence in long-term prospects for the road map. (Guardian)Final Details Set for Bethlehem Handover (July 2, 2003)
Israeli plans to return Bethlehem to Palestinian control does not impress unemployed citizens with restricted access to the city. Remarked one, “If you want to make some serious changes, open the roads, remove the checkpoints and let people in to work.” (Associated Press)Israelis to Dismantle Only Some of the West Bank Settlement Outposts (June 2, 2003)
The Israeli administration proclaims that it will follow a key condition of the road map for peace in the Middle East by dismantling up to 10 "flagrantly illegal" settlements. 230,000 Jewish settlers live in 150 permanent settlements in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. (Associated Press)The Impact of Israel's Separation Barrier on Affected West Bank Communities (May, 2003)
This report compiled by the Local Aid Coordination Committee provides extensive coverage of the humanitarian implications of the separation barrier. The LACC coordinates donations from governments, the EU and organizations such as the UN and USAID.The “Separation Wall” (May, 2003)
Several Palestinian and Israeli NGOs have produced this map of the “separation” wall in the West Bank. The NGOs describe the wall as a “concrete manifestation of the Israeli Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza” and as another method for the confiscation of Palestinian land. (Gush Shalom)Sharon Rejects Settlement Talks (May 13, 2003)
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon stated that dismantling settlements for a Palestinian State, as proposed under a US-backed peace plan, is "not an issue on the horizon." This adds to the obstacles for Secretary of State Colin Powell in convincing Arab leaders about Sharon’s good faith in moving ahead with the road map. (BBC)The Settlement Detour on the Road Map to Peace (April 7, 2003)
Danny Rubinstein of Ha'aretz argues that the most difficult obstacle to the so-called "road map" to peace is the freezing of Jewish settlements in the Occupied Territories, since "the settlements have become an integral part of the Israeli reality."US: Prevent Settlers Moving Into New East Jerusalem Neighborhood (April 4, 2003)
Ha'aretz reports that the Bush administration has been pressuring Israel to stop Jewish settlers from moving into an Arab neighborhood in East Jerusalem. Members of the Israeli peace movement, including Peace Now, see the building of a Jewish settlement in the heart of Arab East Jerusalem as a provocation and a potential stumbling block for the "roadmap" to peace.As Palestinian Violence Subsides, Israel Must Stop Building Settlements, Powell Says (March 31, 2003)
US Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, speaking at the annual meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, said that as violence by Palestinian groups subsided, Israeli "settlement activity" in the West Bank and Gaza must come to an end. (New York Times)UN Rights Expert Says Security Fence Between Israel and the West Bank Is "Illegal Annexation" (March 28, 2003)
John Dugard, the UN expert on rights in the Occupied Territories, stated that an Israeli barrier built between Israel and the West Bank represents "de facto annexation" and is illegal under international law. "The wall is being used as a way of expanding Israel's territory," Dugard said. (Associated Press)Protection Does Not Apply (March 13-19, 2003)
Israel’s destruction of Palestinian homes, which has long been part of its occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, is now being applied inside the “green line” to Palestinians who are Israeli citizens, as the recent demolitions in the village of Kafr Qassem prove. (Al-Ahram Weekly)2002
Resolution 242 Reinterpreted (June 12, 2002)
The International Herald Tribune critically comments on Ariel Sharon’s “breathtaking” reformulation of Resolution 242, and criticizes “his audacity in the way he invokes history in support of his policies.”The Way Forward in the Middle East (June 9, 2002)
In a New York Times’ Op-Ed, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon presents his unique interpretation of Security Council Resolution 242 (1967) arguing that Israel was not expected to withdraw from all the territories, which still remain “disputed”.Now On The Spot, Builders of Beit El Vow to Continue (April 19, 2002)
Israel and the Palestinians have agreed, in principle, that the status of Jewish settlements will be decided in negotiations for a permanent peace agreement once a cease-fire is reached. Jewish settlements, in which nearly 200,000 residents live, have served religious and military purposes since Israel first occupied the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967. (New York Times) < P> Israel Building Barriers to Keep Palestinians Out (April 10, 2002)
Pledging to proceed with his offensive in the West Bank, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon also plans to isolate the Palestinians from Israelis with what he called buffer zones as settlement construction and expansion continue. (Washington Post)Aerial Survey Shows 34 New Settlements Built Under Sharon (March 20, 2002)
The Israeli group Peace Now reveals Israel’s continuing construction of new settlements in the occupied territories The international community regards Israel's prolific construction of settlements as one of the major obstacles to peace-making. (Independent)Israeli Checkpoints Take on New Permanency (January 7, 2002)
Dozens of new army checkpoints have been established in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which the Israeli Defense Forces claim are aimed at thwarting Palestinean attacks on Israelis. Palestineans, however, characterize these repressive military installations as a form of collective punishment and merely another manifestation of their continuing oppression at the hands of Israeli security forces. (Christian Science Monitor)2001
Peres Wants Some Jewish Settlements Evacuated (November 2, 2001)
Unlike Ariel Sharon, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres believes that not every Israeli settlement is important. Peres maintains that the map of settlements “makes things difficult for Israel” and prevents the government from “drawing a map of security and peace.” (Reuters)Unilateral Seperation (September 4, 2001)
Both Palestinians and Israelis are focusing their attention on how to cope with sustained conflict. The Israeli side is entertaining a scheme known as “unilateral separation” which would mean the withdrawal of the Israeli army from most territories occupied after the 1967 war. (Economist)Israeli Terrorism Subsidized by US (August 14, 2001)
Although the Western media considers terrorism to be the hallmark of Palestinian militants, the Israeli government is as guilty as Palestinian military groups of waging war against civilians. But unlike Hamas or Islamic Jihad, it is using US taxpayers' money to do so - to the tune of $2.23 billion in military aid a year. (Madison Capital Times)Fighting as Israeli Tanks Enter West Bank Town (August 14, 2001)
Following the Israeli seizure of the West Bank town of Jenin, the Palestinian Authority appealed once again for an international observer force. Negotiator Saeb Erekat said Palestinians had appealed to the UN Security Council for protection "because this is the only way out." (Independent)Apartheid is Alive and Well (July 25, 2001)
Since the beginning of the intifada, Israeli law-makers, intellectuals and government officials have become increasingly open about exploring "prospective solutions" for Palestinian demographic growth in Israel and the occupied territories, with the suggested solutions ranging from collective deportation to institutionalised apartheid. (Al-Ahram)Gazan Homes Turned to Rubble (July 12, 2001)
Despite censure from the US, Israeli tanks continue to bulldoze Palestinian homes. The UN has denounced the home demolitions as senseless, but Israel maintains that the bulldozing operations are necessary for its security. (BBC)Palestinian Baby Dies at One Israeli Roadblock, Woman Killed at Another (July 12, 2001)
Israeli security forces have unleashed a campaign against suspected terrorists, which they claim has prevented at least one would-be suicide bombing. But the crackdown has come at a cost. Soldiers stopped a Palestinian woman in labour from passing a military checkpoint; both her and her newborn child died shortly thereafter. (Jordan Times)Violence Flares in Jerusalem as Israeli Bulldozers Destroy Dozen 'Illegal' Homes (July 10, 2001)
Israel bulldozed a dozen Palestinian homes near Jerusalem. The Palestinians said the home demolitions were part of Israel's effort to restrict their numbers in and around Jerusalem, which both sides claim as their capital. Israel said the homes were built illegally. (Independent)Armed Occupier Is Hardly a Hero (July 9, 2001)
A country sometimes gets away with occupying another nation, but as the cases of Britain in India and France in Algeria have shown, a people’s determination eventually overcomes the strength of invading forces. This editorial paints an optimistic picture of the Palestinian resistance to the Israeli occupation. (Los Angeles Times)Palestinians Forced to Swallow Pride and Accept Handouts (June 28, 2001)
Israel’s blockade of the Occupied Territories has left thousands of Palestinians without any source of income, and the poverty rate among Palestinians has skyrocketed. Before the intifada began, the number of Palestinians lining up for food sacks from the UN was relatively small. Now a substantial majority line up for aid. (Independent)Israel to Expand West Bank Housing (June 26, 2001)
In defiance of the Mitchell report’s moratorium on settlement building in the Occupied Territories, Israel announced plans to expand its largest settlement in the West Bank. (Independent)The Price of Occupation (June 2, 2001)
This editorial argues that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip has been contrary to Israel’s interests. (New York Times)2000
Missing from Mideast Coverage: Occupied Territories No Longer "Occupied" on TV News (November 3, 2000)
When covering recent events in the Middle East, American television news programs have neglected to mention that the site of most violence is territory occupied by Israel. Notably, news programs didn’t seem to have that problem a few years ago when covering Iraqi-occupied Kuwait. (FAIR)
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