Palestine: Fact Sheet on Israeli Settlements Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Source: Palestine Monitor http://www.palestinemonitor.org/factsheet/settlement.html Israeli Settlements on Occupied Palestinian Territories What is a settlement? Settlements are essentially large housing projects built illegally by Israel on land confiscated from Palestinians within the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza Strip. These settlements are joined to each other and to Israel through "by-pass" roads, which are for the exclusive use of Israelis and which are also built on privately owned Palestinian land confiscated by the Israeli government. Israeli settlements affect Palestinian daily life and impact long-term Palestinian developmental needs. They ensure that Palestinians live in a continuous state of insecurity and fragmentation and therefore prevent economic, social and political development. Number and Area of Settlements There are 205 settlements in the West Bank (including Jerusalem) and Gaza Strip.190 are in the West Bank and 19 in the Gaza Strip.i Over 74 outposts (habitations built that are non-contiguous with the established settlements) were established after the Oslo Accord.ii The Israeli controlled areas (including settlements, military and industrial facilities) in the West Bank occupy 106 Km2 (2.1% of the area of the West Bank). Palestinian built-up areas occupy 283 km2 (8.5% of the area of the West Bank).iii The total remaining area of the West Bank, including all borders, is under complete Israeli security control. One million Palestinians live on 360 square kilometers of land in the Gaza Strip, making it the most highly dense population area in the world. Despite this fact, 5000 Israeli settlers continue to reside illegally in the Gaza strip and control 30% of the area. Settler Population There are more than 403,249 settlers in the West Bank. 211,788 of these settlers live in Jerusalem.iv Settlement Expansion According to Peace Now, 15 new settlement outposts have been approved for construction in the West Bank since Ariel Sharon took office in March 2001. 27 new settlement outposts have been built since the signing of the Wye Memorandum, 11 of which were established since March 1999.v According to Peace Now, tenders for the construction of at least 3499 settlement housing units in the Occupied Palestinian Territories have been issued since Prime Minister Barak took office in July 1999, and construction has begun on at least 2270 housing units. According to figures from the Israeli Construction and Housing Ministry, construction in the settlements increased by 96% during the first half of this year as compared to the first half of the year 1999.vi The population growth within the Israeli settlements is almost four times greater than that of Israel itself, contradicting any claim that this increase is due to "natural population growth". According to the Israeli Bureau of Statistics the percentage of increase in population in the settlements from 1995 to the end of 1998 was 24.8% as compared to 6.6% in Israel.vii New structures--some permanent--have been built at a number of frozen settlement outposts, including Gvaot Olamn, Sneh Ya'akov, Amona, and Ahiya.viii A chain of massive settlements surrounding Jerusalem, including Ma'ale Adumim, Beitar, Efrat, Givat Ze'ev, are being expanded at a particularly fast rate in an effort to determine Jerusalem's future through settlements and to prevent territorial contiguity between the northern and southern territories of the State of Palestine. By-pass Roads ix The continued building of new by-pass roads and the extension of existing bypass roads is a major disruption to the Palestinian economy, autonomy and society. The by-pass network allows the Israeli military to occupy Palestinian land with roads. The network divides the Palestinian areas into Bantustans separated and surrounded by military controlled roads. Furthermore, the by-pass network prevents the expansion and development of Palestinian towns and villages, which results in overcrowding, and prevents Palestinian territorial contiguity. The by-pass roads link Israeli settlements to each other and to Israel. This easy access allows for attractive living conditions for settlers, thus lead to the expansion of settlements. The network undermines the economy of the Palestinians by restricting Palestinian movement and impeding the flow of commerce and workers from area to area. In addition, the confiscation of agricultural land, closing of stone quarries and destruction of houses has impoverished many Palestinians. The by-pass road network violates both international humanitarian and human rights standards as well as the interim Israeli-Palestinian Agreements. The roads built along the green line and around Jerusalem extend Israel's borders beyond the green line and around an expanded Jerusalem. Settlements and Natural Resources Settlements limit Palestinian access to natural resources such as water and agricultural land. This is especially problematic for the Palestinians since it is estimated that their population will double within the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to five million by the year 2010.x There are 115 settlements located over water highly sensitive areas, and 25 settlements over water sensitive areas.xi Three million Palestinians are allowed to use 250 million cubic meters of water per annum (83 cubic meters for each Palestinian per year) while six million Israelis enjoy the use of 2.0 billion cubic meters (333 cubic meter for each Israeli per year), which means that one Israeli consumes as much water as do four Palestinians.xii Each Israeli settler is allocated 1450 cubic meters per year. Legality of Settlementsxiii Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip violate international law. Article 49, paragraph 6 of the Fourth Geneva Convention explicitly stipulates "the occupying power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies". Article 46 of the Hague Convention prohibits the confiscation of private property in occupied territory. The confiscation of land by the Israeli government for settlement construction is in violation of this article. Article 55 of the Hague Convention stipulates that "the occupying state shall be regarded only as administrator and usufructuary of public buildings, real estate, forests, and agricultural estates belonging to the hostile State, and situated in the occupied country. It must safeguard the capital of these properties, and administer them in accordance with the rules of usufruct." This means that the occupying power does not become the owner of the territories and properties of the occupied country and does not use them for serving the interests of its civilians. This rule applies to all of the occupied territory's natural resources. The United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 calls for "just and lasting peace". The confiscated territories on which the settlements are built were confiscated illegally and in war. The United Nations Security Council Resolution 465, which was unanimously adopted, made it clear that "Israel's policy and practices of settling parts of its population and new immigrants" in the occupied territories constitute "a serious obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East". The Security Council called upon Israel to "dismantle the existing settlements and in particular to cease, on an urgent basis, the establishment, construction of planning of settlements in the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem. Notes: i Special Technical Unit (STU), MOPIC, January 2000 ii Special Technical Unit (STU), MOPIC, January 2000 iii Special Technical Unit (STU), MOPIC, September 2000 iv Special Technical Unit (STU), MOPIC, November 2000 v Continuing Israeli Expansion, Land Confiscation and Home Demolition in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, PNA Official Website, January 2000 vi Nadav Shragai, Construction in Settlements Increased by 96 Percent during the First Half of the Year, Ha' aretz, 12 September 2000. vii PNA Official Website viii Peace Now ix The By-Pass Road Network in the West Bank, Al Haq, 1997 x Palestine Central Bureau of Statistics xi MOPIC determines the sensitivity of every location for aquifer recharge based on several parameters including lithology and annual rainfall quantities. xii Special Technical Unit (STU) MOPIC, January 2000. xiii The Israeli Settlements from the Perspective of International Law, Al Haq, 2000 www.btselem.org Produced by the Palestine Monitor ********************************************************************* "The first duty of a revolutionary is to be educated." --José Martí ********************************************************************* The Theater of the Oppressed Laboratory http://www.toplab.org ********************************************************************* ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytmid-06.06.02-13:21:39-6105