land and settlements

8/14/2019 Land and Settlements

1/8

353

6.LAND&SETTLEMENTS

B a c k g r o u n d Since 1967, all Israeli governments have pursued an expansionist settlement policy. The first settlement, Kfar Etzion, wasestablished near Bethlehem in late 1967; by the end of 1968 there were some 30 settlements, housing about 5,000 settlers,mostly in the eastern West Bank. In the 1970s, the official policy followed the plan of Yigal Allon, head of the MinisterialCommittee for Settlements, and in 1977, when Likud came to power, the focus shifted to the western areas in the West Bank.

With the signing of the Oslo Accords the Palestinians agreed to defer all difficult issues, incl. settlements, to a later stage inexchange for an Israeli commitment to disengage from the OPT and preserve the territorial integrity of the WBGS. This,although the Oslo Accords include a broad range of protective measures for the settlements and settlers such as theirexclusion from Palestinian jurisdiction, blanket limitations on Palestinian land use near settlements as well as Israeli controlover land registration, zoning and security. Israel has continued to take unilateral actions, all of which are aimed at creatingmore irreversible facts on the ground in violation of international law.

Settlements, under the protection of the Israeli army, take up land for housing, roads, infrastructure and cultivation, as wellas water. Settlements breach international law (e.g., Art. 49(6) of the Fourth Geneva Convention states: TheOccupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies) andvariousUNSC resolutions (e.g., Res. 465 of 1 March 1980 calling on Israel to dismantle the existing settlements and in particularto cease, on an urgent basis, the establishment, construction and planning of settlements in the Arab territories occupiedsince 1967, including Jerusalem). Likewise, the Road Map of 30 April 2003 called for the freezing of all settlementexpansion, including natural growth of settlements. However, fact is that despite the commitments under the Road Map andatAnnapolis, Israeli settlements continue to expand and very few outposts have been removed.

The Palestinian position remains that Israeli settlements are illegal, threaten the viability of a two-state solution andtherefore must be evacuated, incl. those in East Jerusalem.

S e t t l e r P o p u l a t i o n

The Israeli CBS records 282,500 Israelis in Jewish localities in the West Bank (in the first half of 2008, excl.Jerusalem), the PCBS counts a total of 475,760 settlers (2007), and OCHA 450,000.According to the Israeli CBS, the settlers annual growth rate was 5.8% in 2007 (as opposed to the general Israeli

growth rate of only 1.8%) and 4.6% in the first half of 2008.

The settler populationis equivalent to 3.85% ofIsraels total population, or 5.1% of Israels Jewish population.3% ofimmigrants to Israel settle in the West Bank and 19% settle in Jerusalem (East & West) (Haaretz, 25 Feb. 2008).The separation barrier effectively incorporates over 414,000 illegal settlers i.e., keeps them west of thewall. (PLO-NAD,

Barrier to Peace: Assessment of Israels Wall Route, July 2008).

The PCBS put the total settler population in 2006 at 475,760, 259,712 of which in the Jerusalem Governorate (and201,239 of those within Israels municipal boundaries). Accordingly, settlers make up 16.1% of the total population livingin the West Bank. (PCBS, Statistical Report about Israeli Settlements, 2007).

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

1972

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Growthof Israel's Settler Population (excl. East Jerusalem)

(Source: Israeli Ministry of Interior, and Israeli

282,500

Oslo114,90032,600 66,300

203,000

2008


2/8

354

S e t t l em e n t s & O u t p o s t s As of Nov. 2008, Peace Now counted 120 official settlements (267,500 settlers) and 100 unauthorized outposts

(~3,000 settlers) in the West Bank, excl. East Jerusalem, where another 180,000 settlers live. At least 50 of the outpostswere built after March 2001 (as part of the Road Map, and later in a letter of commitment to US Pres. Bush, Israel committedto remove all outposts that were established during the Sharon govt.). 80.25% of the settlements and outposts are located(fully or partially) on private Palestinian land (http://www.peacenow.org.il).

The Israeli CBS records 119 settlements, PCBS figures put their number at 144 (incl. 26 in East Jerusalem), while OCHAcounts 149 settlements. (PCBS, Statistical Report about Israeli Settlements, 2007, Statistical Abstract of Israel, 2006).

By March 2008, there was construction or development in 58 outposts, at least 16 new permanent structures wereconstructed in seven outposts, at least 38 new mobile structures has been added, and 53 structures were expanded. Inaddition, at least 184 new caravans were placed in settlements, 82% of them in settlements located east of theseparation barrier. (Peace Now, The Death of the Settlement Freeze - 4 Months Since Annapolis, March 2008).

In mid-July 2008, the Israeli Defense Minister approved a plan, frozen in early 2007 after strong local and internationalcriticism, to turn the Maskiyot military outpost in the Jordan Valley (established in the 1980s but long-deserted) into anew permanent civilian settlement. Currently, there are 9 illegal outposts in the Jordan Valley and according to CBSnumbers some 9,358 settlers house in 27 settlements, 15 of which have a population of less than 200. In comparison,there are over 53,000 Palestinians in the region (incl. 35,000 in the Jericho area). Besides Palestinian built-up areas, of allthe Jordan Valley land is placed under the jurisdiction of the settlement regional councils and thus off-limits to thePalestinians. In addition, in the first quarter of 2008, 86% of the demolitions in Area C due to lack of permit took placewere in the Jordan Valley. (Peace Now.A New Jordan Valley Settlement Facts, Background, and Analysis, Oct. 2008).

At the beginning of March the Interior Minister approved the turning of the Modiin Illit Local Council into a city.

H o u s i n g S t a r t s & O n g o i n g C o n s t r u c t i o n As of July 2008, construction was ongoing in 604 buildings in West Bank

settlements, tenders for 2,481 housing units had been issued, and 184 mobile homeshad been erected (FMEP, Report on Israeli Settlement, July-August 2008).

In 2007, the Israeli Housing and Construction Ministry began work on 478 new housingunits in the West Bank and completed 1,429. New housing sales in Israel increasednationally by 1.6% in 2007, while sales in the West Bank decreased by 8.1%. A total of13,576 new apartments built by the private construction sector were sold in 2007, 2.7%of which in West Bank settlements. (FMEP, Report on Israeli Settlement in the OccupiedTerritories, March-April 2008)

Since the Nov. 2007 Annapolis Conference and June 2008 alone, Israel has announcednew tenders and plans in settlements, which amounted to a total of 29,353 housingunits (ARIJ, 1,300 New Israeli Housing Units to be built in Jerusalem, 2 July 2008).

Establishment of Settlements (excl. East Jerusalem) since 1967

(Source: Israeli Ministry of Interior, Israeli


3/8

355

1 dunum = acre or 1000

According to Peace Now over 2,600 housing units are under construction in West Bank settlements in the first half of 2008,55% of which in settlements east of the separation fence. in The number of tenders for construction in settlementsincreased by 550% from 65 in 2007 to 417 housing units in addition to 125 new buildings at outposts.

CBS data shows that between Jan.-May 2008 there was construction on 433 housing units in settlements (compared to240 during the same period last year). Housing and Construction Ministry projects account for 64% of all buildingstarts cataloged. (Haaretz, Peace Now: West Bank settlement construction nearly doubled this year, 26 Aug. 2008)

Figures from the Israeli Civil Admin. show that between 2000 and Sept. 2007, only 5.5% of Palestinian requests forbuilding permits in Area C were approved (or 105 out of 1,890 applications). Forced to build without license,Palestinian construction became subject to house demolition: in the same period, 4,820 demolition orders were issues,1,626 of which were executed. While Palestinians were denied building permits in Area C, Israeli settlements weregranted them at an annual rate of 1,000 or a total of 6,945 between 2000-2006 (as compared to 95 permits forPalestinians in the same period!). (ARIJ. Israeli Policies in Area C: Silent Transfer of the Palestinian People, Oct. 2008.)

In May 2008, Maarivreported that housing sales in West Bank settlements dropped by 57% in the last year.In recent years the trend has accelerated to eliminate the Green Line through intensive construction intended to

create a territorial connection between the blocks of settlements and isolated settlements in the heart of the West Bank.

L a n d & L a n d C o n f i s c a t i o n

Before the War of 1948, Palestinians owned about 87.5% of the total area of Palestine (26,323,000 dunums or 26,323km2), while Jews owned 6.6% of the total lands. The remaining 5.9% was state land as classified by the British Mandate.(British Government,A Survey of Palestine, 1945-1946).

Since June 1967, the Israeli occupation authorities have expropriated some 79% of the WBGS territory. Of these areas,some 44% were taken for military purposes, 20% for security reasons, 12% for public use (e.g., Green Areas), and12% because the owners were absent.

The status of settlement lands is complicated. In the West Bank, only about 30% of the land is registered (since landregistration ceased completely following Israels occupation in 1967) and Israel declared all unregistered and non-

cultivated land as State land in the 1980 subsequently using it to create Israeli settlements. (The World Bank, PalestinianEconomic Prospects: Aid, Access and Reform. Sept. 2008.)

In mid-2007, Peace Now reported that West Bank settlements use only 12% of the huge amounts of land allocated tothem, of which only 9% is built on. Despite those huge unused land reserves, 90% of the settlements exceeded theirboundaries, and about one-third of the territory they use is adjacent Palestinian lands outside their jurisdiction. While theCivil Administration prevents Palestinians from building in areas under settler jurisdiction, it takes virtually no legal actionagainst illegal settler construction. (Haaretz, 7 July 2007)

The built-up area of the West Bank settlements covers only 52,000 dunums (1.5% of Area C), but their jurisdictionscover over half a million dunums (5.1% of the entire West Bank). Another 23% of the West Bank is restricted toPalestinians by order of the Military Commander of the West Bank comprising: closed military areas and bases, andIsraeli declared natural reserves (with some overlap between the two). A further 10.2% of the West Bank, including 42Palestinian villages, will be enveloped by the most recent route of the separation barrier. The enclosed areas includevaluable agricultural land and substantial water resources. (The World Bank. Palestinian Economic Prospects: Aid, Access andReform. Sept. 2008.)

324564

801

4237

2785

1082

491

1433 1495

1139

2330

14291259 1147

15111161

8581180

763

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Housing Completions initiated by the Israeli Ministry of Housing in Settlements,

excl. Jerusalem

Labor-Likud(Unity) Govt.

Shamir(Likud)

Govt.


Shamir(Likud)

Govt.


Shamir(Likud)

Govt.


Shamir(Likud)

Govt.

Rabin (Labor)Govt.

Netanyahu(Likud) Govt.

Barak (Labor)Govt.

Sharon(Unity) Govt.

Olmert(Unity) Govt.


4/8

356


5/8

357

Settlements in the West Bank, 2006

Name Pop. * Establ. Area Name Pop. * Establ. Area

Adora 220 1983 Hebron Mevo Dotan 311 1978 Jen inAlei Zahav 723 1982 Tulkarem Mevo Horon 1,037 1970 RamallahAlfei Menashe 5,826 1983 Tulkarem Mezadot Yehuda 462 1980 HebronAllon Shevut 3,330 1970 Bethlehem Migdal Oz 345 1977 BethlehemAlmog 192 1977 Jericho Migdalim 142 1984 NablusAlmon 808 1982 Ramallah Mitzpe Shalem 169 1971 JerichoArgaman 166 1968 Jericho Mitzpe Yericho 1,641 1978 JerichoAriel 16,432 1978 Tulkarem Modi'in Illit 34,482 1981 RamallahAsfar (Metzad) 257 1984 Hebron Na'aleh 655 1988 RamallahAteret 406 1981 Ramallah Naameh 129 1982 JerichoAvnei Hefetz 1,247 N/A Tulkarem Nahaliel 278 1984 RamallahBarkan 1,257 1981 Tulkarem Negohot 172 1982 HebronBat Ayin 866 1989 Bethlehem Netiv HaGedud 125 1976 JerichoBet Arye 3,502 1981 Ramallah Neve Daniel 1,609 1982 BethlehemBet El 5,163 1977 Ramallah Nili 886 1981 RamallahBet Ha'Arava 87 1980 Jericho Niran 52 1977 JerichoBet Horon 900 1977 Ramallah Nofim 409 1987 TulkaremBetar 'Illit 29,126 1985 Bethlehem Nokdim 782 1982 BethlehemBeqa'ot 171 1972 Jericho Ofarim Joined together with Bet Arye in 2004Bracha 1,182 1982 Nablus Ofra 2,531 1975 RamallahCarmel 357 1981 Hebron Oranit 5,782 1984 TulkaremChemdat 147 1997 Jericho Otni'el 752 1983 HebronDolev 1,100 1983 Ramallah Pedu'el 1,116 1984 TulkaremEfrat 7,714 1980 Bethlehem Peza'el 214 1975 JerichoEl'azar 1,314 1975 Bethlehem Pnei Hever 392 1982 HebronEli 2,530 1984 Nablus Psagot 1,489 1981 RamallahElkana 2,968 1977 Tulkarem Rehan 153 1977 JeninElon Moreh 1,314 1979 Nablus Revava 909 1991 NablusEmmanuel 2,678 1982 Tulkarem Rimonim 565 1977 RamallahEnav 571 1981 Tulkarem Ro'i 128 1976 JerichoEshkolot 225 1982 Hebron Rosh Zurim 422 1969 BethlehemEtz Efrayim 679 1985 Tulkarem Rotem 18 2001 JerichoGeva Binyamin (Adam) 3,183 1983 Ramallah Sal'it 429 1977 TulkaremGilgal 162 1970 Jericho Sha'arei Tikva 3,773 1982 TulkaremGittit 214 1973 Jericho Shadmot Mehola 536 1978 JerichoGiv'at Ze'ev 10,796 1982 Ramallah Shaked 536 1981 JeninGiv'on HaHadasha 1,181 1980 Ramallah Shani (Livne) 416 1989 Hebron

Haggai (Bet Haggai) 477 1984 Hebron Shavei Shomron 631 1977 NablusHallamish 975 1977 Ramallah Shilo 2,068 1979 RamallahHamra 132 1971 Jericho Shim'a 368 1985 HebronHar Adar 2,438 1986 Ramallah Susiya 737 1983 HebronHar Gilo 415 1972 Bethlehem Talmon 2,135 1989 RamallahHashmona'im 2,359 1985 Ramallah Tekoa 1,343 1977 BethlehemHebron Old City 400 1968 Hebron Telem 167 1981 HebronHemdat (Nahal) 120 1980 Jericho Tene (Maale Omarim) 650 1983 HebronHermesh 202 1982 Jenin Tomer 282 1978 JerichoHinnanit 779 1981 Jenin Tzofim 1,082 1989 TulkaremItamar 698 1984 Nablus Vered Yericho 180 1980 JerichoKalya 266 1968 Jericho Yafit 104 1980 JerichoKarmei Zur 696 1984 Hebron Yakir 1,025 1981 TulkaremKarnei Shomron 6,333 1978 Tulkarem Yitav 175 1970 JerichoKedar 782 1984 Bethlehem Yizhar 673 1983 NablusKedumim 3,208 1975 TulkaremKfar Adumim 2,312 1979 Ramallah Total:Kfar Etzion 448 1967 Bethlehem 123 settlements 263,837Kfar HaOranim (Menora) 1,917 1998 Ramallah

Kfar Tapuah 721 1978 Tulkarem In addition there are: Families Establ. AreaKiryat Arba' 6,958 1972 HebronKiryat Netafim 472 1982 TulkaremKokhav HaShahar 1,530 1977 Ramallah

Alon (officially partof Kfar Adumim)

120 1990 Ramallah

Kokhav Ya'acov 5,268 1984 RamallahMa'ale Adumim 31,754 1975 Bethlehem

Gevaot (officially partof Allon Shevut)

11 1997 Bethlehem

Ma'ale Amos 344 1981 BethlehemMa'ale Efrayim 1,384 1970 Jericho

Nofei Prat (officiallypart of Kfar Adumim)

150 1992 Ramallah

Maale Levona 556 1983 RamallahMa'ale Mikhmas 1,184 1981 Ramallah

Rehelim (has no officialstatus; nr. Ariel)

37 1991 Tulkarem

Ma'ale Shomron 570 1980 TulkaremMa'on 370 1981 Hebron

Shvut Rahel ((officiallypart of Shilo)

60 1991 Ramallah

Massu'a 142 1970 Jericho No.Mattityahu 1,355 1981 Ramallah Outposts 100Mehola 351 1968 JerichoMekhora 114 1973 Jericho Source: Peace Now, Settlement List:, 2008


6/8

358

R o a d s & B y p a s s R o a d s Bypass roads circumvent Palestinian towns and villages and linkthe various Israeli

settlements to one another as well as to Israel proper. The main rationalebehind these roads is the security of the settlers, but they also serve thepurpose of dividing the West Bank into isolated bantustans and blockingPalestinian development. Bypass roads are under Israeli control and entail a 50-75-m buffer zone on each side of the road in which no construction is allowed.

To date, Israel has constructed some 794.79 km of bypass roads in the WestBank. Palestinians are denied access to most of them (often enforced withcement blocks, trenches, earth-mounds, barbwires and iron gates) under thepretext of military and/or security purposes. The largest bypass road networksare in the Ramallah (183 km) and Hebron (132) areas (ARIJ, The Israeli BypassRoad System in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Aug. 2008)

I s r a e l i G o v e r nm e n t S p e n d i n g Govt. expenditure includes - besides high security costs - low purchase prices, mortgage grants (up to 95% of the

cost), Priority A categorization (for state-subsidized benefits and incentives such as 7%-tax breaks, free schooling andschool busing, and business grants), lost tax revenues.

According to experts' estimates, the total economic cost of the occupation has by now reached more than $50billion, including security and civilian expenses (the construction and maintenance of the settlements), as well as thepotential loss of GDP. The annual average of military expenses on maintaining control over the territory stands atabout NIS 2.5 billion. (Avi Shauli, Cost of Occupation, Sept. 2007 http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3410537,00.html).

The civilian cost of the settlements is valued at about NIS 2.5 billion per year. The value of property built in theterritories is estimated at over US$14 billion, and the losses in GDP for the Israeli economy due to the recession thatfollowed the second Intifada are estimated at NIS 50 billion. (Ibid.)

The evacuation of some 8,000 settlers from Gaza cost the State of Israel some NIS 8 billion, an average of NIS 1million per person. The evacuation of the 250,000 West Bank settlers is expected to exceed NIS 250 billion since some ofthem belong to a higher socioeconomic stratum as was the case with Gazas settlers.

According to the Israeli Defense Ministry, the separation barrier will approx. cost a total ofNIS 10 billion, wherebyeach km of costs NIS 15 million and each km of fence NIS 12 million.

I s r a e l s S e p a r a t i o n B a r r i e r & S e am Z o n e In June 2002 Israel decided to build the separation barrier to prevent the uncontrolled entry of Palestinians from the West

Bank into Israel. In fact, the separation barrier is part of a strategy that aims to annex large parts of WBGS land whileencircling Palestinian population centers. It is a combination of an 8-m high concrete wall (mainly around EastJerusalem areas), trenches, fences, razor wire and military-only roads. There is also a 30-100-m wide buffer zone east

of the Wall with electrified fences, trenches, sensors and military patrol roads and some sections have armed snipertowers. The barrier runs through some of the most fertile parts of the West Bank and has severely harmed agriculturalactivity, which is one of the main sources of income many villages.

On 9 July 2004, the International Court of Justice (ICJ)ruled that Israel's construction of the barrier was contrary tointernational law as it involves destruction/confiscation of Palestinian property and imposes severe restrictions on Palestinianmovement, and that that Israel must cease forthwith the works of construction of the wall being built in the OccupiedPalestinian Territory, including in and around East Jerusalem, return seized property and compensate Palestinian landownerswhose interests have been damaged by its construction. The Court's decision emphatically challenges the Israeli rationale forlocating most of the barrier in the West Bank instead of in its own territory. The ICJs Advisory Opinion was confirmed byUNGA Res. A/RES/ES-10/15 of 20 July 2004. In Dec. 2006, UNGA established UNROD, the UNs Register of Damage Causedby the Construction of the Wall. Nevertheless, Israel proceeded with the construction.

In April 2007 the Israeli Defense Ministry approved an updated route for the Separation Barrier (see http://seamzone.mod.gov.il/Pages/ENG/map_eng.htm), which, upon completion, will effectively annex 12% of the West Bank (previously:

75 6

8 10 74 6 2 1

05

10

15

Bypass Roads in PalestinianGovernorates

(Source: ARIJ, GIS database, 2007.)


7/8

359

9.0%). At least 80% of the revised route still runs inside the West Bankand East Jerusalem, isolating communities

and separating tens of thousands of people from services, their lands and livelihoods. Israel has declared the land in between the route of the barrier itself and the Green Line now referred to as the " seam

zone" - a "closed area" for an indefinite period of time pursuant to occupation military orders. Palestinians aged 16 andabove who find themselves residents of the "seam zone" are required to apply for a "permanent resident ID" from theCivil Administration in order to seek permission to remain in their homes and also require permits to access theirproperty, work or fields west of the wall through designated gates, which tend to be open for only a few hours a day andcan be closed by the army without prior warning. No vehicles are allowed through and heavy restrictions apply withregard to agricultural equipment and materials. (World Bank. Movement and Access Restrictions in the West Bank: Uncertaintyand Inefficiency in the Palestinian Economy. May 2007; ILO, The Situation of Workers of the Occupied Arab Territories. May 2008).

Less than 20% of the separation barriers route lies on the Green Line, while approx. 9.5% of West Bank land as wellas East Jerusalem fall in the seam zone between the Barrier and the Green Line, and will thus be isolated from the restof the West Bank. Over 80% of Israeli settlers will be incorporated in the same area and will thus be connected to Israel(ILO, The Situation of Workers of the Occupied Arab Territories. International Labor Conference, May 2008.)

Once completed, approx. 35,000 Palestinians will live between the Green Line and the barrier, and another26,000 in eight communities will be surrounded on four sides by the barrier, with a tunnel or road connection to therest of the West Bank. Nearly a quarter of a million residents of East Jerusalem will be cut off from the rest of the WestBank. (The World Bank, Palestinian Economic Prospects: Aid, Access and Reform. Sept. 2008.)

With the separation barrier route (de facto annexing 9% of the West Bank), settlements east of the barrier (de factoannexing an additional 8.0%) and Israels de facto annexation of the Jordan Valley (28.5%), Israel controls45.5% ofthe West Bank, leaving Palestinians with only 54% or 12% of historic Palestine (PLO NAD. Barrier to Peace: Assessmentof Israels Wall Route, July 2008).

Of the 275,200 settlers in the West Bank in 2007, some 65,406 were located east and 209,794 west of theseparation barrier. (Peace Now, 2008)

The Wall route effectively incorporates over 414,000 settlers (=88% of all settlers), and will de factoannex theGivon, Adumim, and Etzion settlement blocs. (PLO-NAD. Barrier to Peace: Assessment of Israels Wall Route, July 2008).

As part of its Special Security Area (SSA) plan, Israel surrounded 12 settlements east of the separation barrier withrings of land that are closed to Palestinian entry, although more than half of that land is privately-owned by Palestinians.By this, the overall area of these settlements increased by 2.4 times from 3,325 to 7,793 dunums. (BTselem, AccessDenied: Israeli measures to deny Palestinians access to land around settlements. Sept. 2008.)

As of June 2008, the separation barrier passed through 171 West Bank localities (affecting some 712,313 people) andhas so far resulted in the confiscation of 49,291 dunums of land, the isolation of another 274,607 dunums, and thedisplacement of some 3,880 households (27,841 people). (PCBS, Survey on the Impact of the Expansion and AnnexationWall on the Socio-Economic Conditions of Palestinian Localities where the Wall Passes Through, June 2008)

The number of closure obstacles reported by OCHA rose from 566 in Sept. 2007 to 609 in May 2008 (not incl.checkpoints placed on the Green Line, flying checkpoints and the Barr ier.)

T h e O c c u p i e d P a l e s t i n i a n T e r r i t o r i e s

Total Area of Palestinian Governorates (in km2)

Governorate Total Area Governorate Total Area

JeninTubas

Tulkarm

QalqilyaSalfit

NablusRamallah

Jerusalem1Jericho

583402246

166204

605855

345593

HebronTotal WBNorth Gaza

GazaDeir Balah

Khan YounisRafah

Total Gaza

9975,655

61

7458

10864

365

790 km

340 km

474 km

79 km

237 km

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

Total Barrier of which on theGreen Line

Completed Under construction Planned

The Separation Barrier at a Glance

(Source: Peace

CurrentUpon

40 km wall &

750 km fence


8/8

360

Bethlehem 659 TOTAL WBGS 6,020

(Source: PCBS, Land Use Statistics.) 1 excl. the annexed part.West Bank Areas A, B, C:

The 1995 Oslo II Agreement created, as an interim (5-year) measure, three distinct zones Areas A, B, and C, with differentsecurity and administrative arrangements.The current status is frozen at the levels of the 1999 Sharm El-Sheikh summit:

Oslo II, 1995 Wye River, 1998 Sharm El-Sheikh, 1999

The territorial space of Areas A and B is not contiguous, and consists of some 227 enclaves.

RecommendedResearchSources:

http://www.arij.org, http://www.arij.org/paleye/ http://www.fmep.org/ (Settlement Report)

http://www.stopthewall.org/ (Palestinian campaign against the wall) http://www.ochaopt.org

http://www.peacenow.org/ (American Peace Now) http://www.peacenow.org.il/

http://www.btselem.org/English/Settlements/

Access Denied: Israeli Measures to Deny Palestinians Access to Land around Settlements. Jerusalem: BTselem, Sept. 2008.ARIJ.An Analysis of the Recent Geopolitical Situation in Gaza Strip. Sept. 2003.

Behind The Barrier: Human Rights Violations As a Result of Israel's Separation Barrier. Position Paper. Jerusalem: BTselem, April 2003.BTselem,Access Denied: Israeli measures to deny Palestinians access to land around settlements. Sept. 2008.Ideological Settlement in the West Bank: Areas of Exclusion Enforced Upon the Palestinian Population. Ramallah: PALDIS-LCD, July 2002.Foundation for Middle East Peace. Report on Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Territories. (online: http://www.fmep.org).Matar, Ibrahim.Jewish Settlements, Palestinian Rights, and Peace. Washington, DC: Center for Policy Analysis on Palestine, 1996.PASSIA.Settlements - Special Bulletin. Jerusalem, March 2001. (available at www.passia.org).PLO Negotiations, Affairs Department.IsraeliSettlement Activity since Annapolis. May 2008.PLO Negotiations, Affairs Department.The Business of Colonization. Background Brief, October 2008.Shehadeh, Raja.The Law of the Land. Settlement and Land Issues under Israeli Military Occupation. Jerusalem: PASSIA, 1993.UN Ocha, regular situation reports on access, closure and the separation barrier.Yesh Din,A Semblance of Law - Law Enforcement upon Israeli Civilians in the West Bank, June 2006.

Area 'A': full Palestinian control; mainly urban areas(cities &towns).

Area 'B': Palestinian civil and Israeli security control;mainly populated rural areas.

Area C: full Israeli control; settlements, settlementaccess roads, buffer zones (near settlements, roads,strategic areas and Israel) and almost all of the Jordan

Valley. Area C holds 63% of the West Banks agriculturallands !

land and settlements

Documents