In Ariel Sharon’s first public addressafter Yasser Arafat’s December 2001 callfor an end to the armed Palestinianuprising against Israeli occupation, theIsraeli prime minister displayed the ele-ments that have long defined his publicimage as a pragmatic expansionist.

The forum was Jerusalem’s Hall ofthe People, where Sharon was to bestowthe Begin Prize to Ze’ev Hever, head ofGush Emunim’s settlement arm,Amana. Among his other duties, Heverspearheads the creation of new settle-ment “outposts.” Sharon, then a ministerin Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet, wasone of the first after the Wye Agree-ment in October 1998 to urge Amanato “grab and settle.”

The audience was full of GushEmunim patrons, the heart and soul of

the settlement enterprise, the criticalforce that has urged the governmentsince September 2000 to militarilydefeat the PA.

Here, of all places, noted a report inthe right-wing daily Kol Hazeman, “theprime minister supplied the settlers withreasons only to worry.”

“We have a commitment to makepeace, including its painful price,”explained Sharon. He immediatelyadded that former prime ministerMenachem Begin had himself declaredthat national unity was the supremevalue, and that under no circumstanceswould there be a war pitting “brotheragainst brother.”

In Israel’s political lexicon, Sharonwas reaffirming his commitment to sup-port the creation of a Palestinian stateon territories his listeners, and he aswell, consider to be part of Israel’s patri-mony.

“The talk about peace, in such a war-like time, left the settlement leaders inthe room aghast,” reported Kol Haze-man. “They were the last to believe thatthe prime minister would ‘save’ Arafat.”

Like his audience that day, Sharon,in his heart of hearts, is a true believerin the continuing struggle of the Jewishstate to define its borders in the face ofthe existential antipathy of Palestiniansand Arabs generally. He opposes thetwo basic premises upon which Oslo isbased: he does not believe that Arafatand the Palestine Liberation Organiza-tion (PLO) can sponsor an agreementdefining relations with Israel, nor doeshe think that the PA and its security

arms can be partners in protectingIsraeli security. Left to his own devices,Sharon would gladly turn back the clockto an era when the PLO was best nego-tiated with through the barrel of a gun.What sets apart Sharon’s public career,however, is that his often destructiveand radical impulses can be containedby domestic and external forces morepowerful and committed than those hecan bring to bear.

For example, Sharon’s contribution atthe Wye Plantation talks in October1998 was recognized by Washington,which had shunned him since Sabra andShatila. And at a time when he consid-ered inevitable the creation of a Pale-stinian state, Sharon became one of thefirst Israeli politicians to articulate theneed to define the borders of the pro-spective state in such a way as to pre-serve his expanded notion of Israelisettlement and security interests.Sharon’s map was hardly the same oneas Arafat’s, but it offered evidence thatSharon could be compelled to adapt to adiplomatic framework he opposed, forc-ing him to operate tactically within astrategic framework fashioned by others.

Sharon’s year-long tenure as primeminister, however, has been defined bythe strategic vacuum created in theaftermath of the failure of the Taba talksand the progressive failure of either theBush administration or Yasser Arafat torescue the Oslo understandings fromSharon’s heartfelt preferences. Undersuch circumstances Arafat could sing

To subscribe to the e-mail version ofthe Settlement Report:

majordomo@gdn.org;leave “Subject” blank.Write: subscribe settlements-L.

Visit our website, www.fmep.org, forback issues of the Settlement Report,maps, and current analyses andcommentary on the Israeli-Palestinianconflict.

Also in this issue:

After Oslo 3Settlement Outposts 4, 5U.S. Policy Statements 10

——— � ———

REPORT ON

ISRAELI SETTLEMENTIN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

A B i m o n t h l y P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e Fo u n d a t i o n f o r M i d d l e E a s t Pe a c e

Volume 12 Number 1 January-February 2002

SHARON DECLARES ARAFAT IRRELEVANT— THE END OF THE OSLO ERA

SHARON, continued on page 8

2 ❖ Report on Israeli Settlement January-February 2002

TO OUR READERSFOUNDATION FOR

MIDDLE EAST PEACE

Merle Thorpe, Jr.Founder

(1917–1994)

Philip C. Wilcox, Jr.President

Geoffrey AronsonEditor

Efrat ShviliJerusalem Correspondent

Dalia Abu DayyehEditorial Associate

Blanca MadaniWebmaster

ADVISERS

Lucius D. BattleLandrum R. BollingPeter GubserJean C. NewsomGail PressbergNicholas A. Veliotes

TRUSTEES

Peter M. CastlemanChairman

Lucius D. BattleCalvin H. Cobb, Jr.James J. CromwellStephen HartwellRichard S.T. MarshRichard W. MurphyWilliam B. QuandtSally S. Thorpe

The Foundation, a non-profit, I.R.C. 501(c)(3)organization, receives noU.S. or foreign governmentfunds. It supports peace andsecurity for Israelis andPalestinians through mutualrecognition and a negotiateddivision of historicPalestine.

Copyright © 2002

As Jeff Aronson points out on page 1 ofthis Report, Ariel Sharon has unofficiallydeclared war on Yasser Arafat, thePalestinian Authority, and the Oslo peaceprocess. By freeing himself from Oslo’sconstraints, Sharon seeks to fulfill his life-long goal of marginalizing the Palestiniansand consolidating Israel’s grip on the occu-pied territories.

Polls still show that most Israelis wouldaccept a viable Palestinian state and aban-don settlements in return for real peace andsecurity for the Jewish state. But they nolonger believe this is possible. Sharon hasbrilliantly exploited fear of terrorism to dis-credit Oslo, demonize Arafat, and justify a“greater Israel” agenda in the name of“security.” Arafat’s lack of a coherent peacestrategy and toleration of violence havecontributed to the breakdown and playedinto Sharon’s hands. If the confrontationcontinues, it will deepen, and furtherundermine U.S. interests in the region by

nourishing hatred that contributes to anti-American terror.

Sharon will not change course unless theU.S. and a renewed Israeli opposition see achance for peace and demand a return tonegotiations, a prospect Sharon ferventlyopposes. At this stage, given Arafat’s weak-nesses, only strong American diplomacycan restore hope for peace. But exhortationto implement the Mitchell plan is nolonger enough. A clear, detailed U.S. visionof peace that meets the basic needs of bothsocieties, pursued with energy and empathy,could galvanize a pro-peace majority inIsrael, win Palestinian support, sidelineextremists on both sides, and oblige bothSharon and Arafat—or their successors—toaccept an historic compromise.

—————— � ——————

ONLY IDIOTS RENTThe time has come to stop paying rent and to

purchase an apartment with attractive financing.

Pay

$9,500Plus: $10,500 grant and $850/month

And you get a 3 room apartment and a porch and parking

‘Natural Growth’ in East Jerusalem

A private and quiet neighborhood in Pisgat Ze’ev with an open, very special view

From an ad in Kol Ha’Ir, November 9, 2001

Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg (Labor Party)

Whoever wants a full democracy with a Jewish majority can-not hold onto the entire land from the Jordan River to theMediterranean Sea, because it is a land that has people ofanother nation with different national aspirations. And who-ever wants the whole land and a Jewish majority must give upon democracy, and instead have a dark and oppressive regime.And whoever wants a democracy and the entire land, mustgive up on his idea of a Jewish state with a Jewish majority.

Arutz 7, November 19, 2001

—————————————

Tourism Minister Benny Elon

[Avraham] Burg’s premise is wrong, as we are not demandingthe entire Eretz (Land of ) Yisrael. Most of this area, 78 per-cent of it, already has a Palestinian state—Jordan. We mustmake it clear that Eretz Yisrael has two sides of the Jordan,and that if the Arabs want a Palestinian state, it already exists,in the form of Jordan.

Our solution [the voluntary exodus of Arabs out of Judeaand Samaria] will lead to real peace, with a democratic Jewishstate between the Mediterranean and the Jordan. Gandhi [theassassinated Rehavam Ze’evi, founder of the Moledet partythat Elon now heads] taught us that there are different typesof transfer: The forcible type, which is not desirable or demo-cratic, occurs during wartime. It is sometimes justified as aform of punishment to those who start a war. Just as in theWar of Independence, when they brought upon themselves a“nakba” (catastrophe), and we celebrate our independence. Ifthey continue to war with us, then that is what will happenagain.

On the other hand, we are willing to negotiate with themover some form of autonomy, with its capital in Amman, andconnected culturally and municipally and in other ways toJordan, but with Israel in control of the borders, sovereignty,and the Jordan Valley. This can be done if they are willing tolive with us in peace. But if they are not willing to do so, thenthe painful price they will have to pay will be transfer.

Arutz 7, November 19, 2001

—————————————

Uri Elitzur, Head of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Bureau

Two major questions face us: What will be the final bordersof Israel, and what will happen with the Arab residents ofYESHA? We haven’t given an answer to these questionsbecause we don’t want to—because if we say that we want ourfinal borders to include all of Judea and Samaria, then theArabs living there become our headache.

Regarding the Arabs of YESHA, we must say clearly, yes,they are our responsibility. This will be a heavy price for us to

pay in order to hold on to the Land of Israel, but we have topay it. This doesn’t mean that I would rule out transfer, and Idon’t think it’s an unethical solution, but I do think that it’snot realistic for the next few decades at least. The main thingis to say that we refuse to give up on the Land of Israel andthat we are willing to admit that these 2 million Arabs ofEretz Yisrael are here and they are our headache.

Arutz 7, November 18, 2001

—————————————

Peres believes that if negotiations are resumed, it will be pos-sible to reach an agreement with the Palestinians whichfinesses the issue of whether it is a “permanent agreement” oran “interim agreement.”

The main problem, he believes, is the settlements. The cur-rent map in the territories does not permit security and truepeace. Peres supports the removal of all settlements in Gaza.Such a removal, he believes, will calm the strip. Today Israelmust destroy trees and fields to confront Palestinians and tomaintain large military forces only in order to maintain thesettlements.

Ha’aretz, October 12, 2001

—————————————

Israel will suggest territory in Gaza and the West Bank but itwill not remove settlements. Peres explained this week that hedoes not have a majority to remove settlements. Arafat willestablish his state [in these areas] with Israel’s agreement.

Yediot Aharanot, November 16, 2001

—————————————

Labor Party MK Haim Ramon

If Israel announces immediately that she recognizes an inde-pendent Palestinian state and calls for its international recog-nition, she will serve her own interests and make it hard forArafat and his friends. She will divest herself of responsibilityfor Palestine’s economy, place in the international communi-ty’s hands supervision of the maintenance of the law andinternational agreements, and the main thing—Israel willdecide the essence of her relations with such a state accordingto the criterion of the hostility or cooperation it demonstratestoward her.

Separation between the two national entities—to include asecurity fence and a buffer zone, the consolidation of Jewishsettlement in blocs, detachment from the Palestinian popula-tion in the territories and control of the border crossings—would be more significant if it were carried out between tworecognized states. The boundary between the two states willbe a security border, the diplomatic borders will be deter-mined in the future in the framework of a peace agreementbetween the two states.

Ma’ariv, November 19, 2001

January-February 2002 Report on Israeli Settlement ❖ 3

AFTER OSLO

Every Israel government since the election of PrimeMinister Yitzhak Rabin has committed to refrain from theconstruction of new settlements in the occupied territories.This commitment has not included the expansion of existingsettlement communities, whose population has increased tomore than 400,000 in more than200 officially recognized locationsin East Jerusalem, the West Bank,Gaza Strip, and the GolanHeights. For example, since May2001 the government of PrimeMinister Ariel Sharon has pub-lished tenders for the constructionof 746 apartments in West Bankand Gaza Strip settlements andoverseen the construction, fromJanuary through June 2001, of 832new dwelling units.

Despite this ban on new settle-ment construction, successiveIsraeli governments since 1996have overseen, provided protectionto, and in many cases formally rec-ognized, the creation of new settle-ment outposts. In other instances,settlements ordered “frozen” havenevertheless expanded and devel-oped, adding new, permanenthousing and infrastructure.

On August 21, 2000, a monthbefore the beginning of the al-Aqsa intifada, MK Mossi Raz ofthe Meretz party observed that set-tlers “continue to exert organizedcontrol over land in an illegal man-ner. Their clear intention is tocause an outbreak of violence inthe territories that will harm thechance for an agreement. It is timethat the army, the police, and thegovernment [then headed by EhudBarak] stop their groveling surren-der to the criminal settlers.”

Settlers insist that their settle-ment efforts are coordinated with the Israel Defense Forces(IDF).

“All that has been done has been done with the army’sknowledge and in full coordination with them,” explained asettlement leader.

Government officials and settlers themselves do not definethe locations as new settlements. They point out that they arelocated, for the most part, within the planning areas of exist-

ing settlements. Some are located a few hundred meters fromexisting construction, yet others are up to 4,000 meters dis-tant. In an earlier era of settlement expansion, during thetenure of Prime Minister Menachem Begin in the late 1970s,officials also argued that existing settlements were simply

being “thickened” by the creationof new settlement locations duringa short period when a ban on newsettlements was government policy.

On October 12, 2000, PrimeMinister Ehud Barak recognized32 of 42 such settlements estab-lished before and during the tenureof his immediate predecessor,Benjamin Netanyahu. Of these, fif-teen were legalized; 13 were“frozen,” but more than half con-tinued to develop, adding housesand infrastructure; 3 were moved tonew locations nearby; 2 weremoved temporarily; water tankswere removed from 3 uninhabitedlocations, 2 were already empty,and 4 were scheduled for evacua-tion but remain in place today.

In June 2001 the IDF reported66 distinct outposts. Almost half ofthem have been established sincethe beginning of the intifada inSeptember 2000. Ha’aretz reportedon November 21, 2001, that 26new sites have been settled sinceSharon assumed power in February2001

Many are located at sites alongroads and intersections wheresettlers have been killed by Pale-stinians. Some are no more thantemporary, rudimentary encamp-ments. The placement of most ofthese outposts, however, reveals astrategic intent as well. The Barakgovernment was prepared to sur-render all settlements to the east of

Route 60, which runs in a north-south direction from Jenin toHebron. Settlers and Israeli officials intent upon complicatingsuch a withdrawal have focused the creation of new outpostsin the areas near the settlements of Itamar-Yizhar and Shilo-Kfar Tapuach along this route. These new settlement loca-tions define areas of future settlement expansion in an attempt

4 ❖ Report on Israeli Settlement January-February 2002

SHARON GOVERNMENT VIOLATES PLEDGE NOT TO ESTABLISH NEW SETTLEMENTS

Based on satellite photographs, [theUnited States] has asked Israel forexplanations about new construction inthe settlements. The United States hasused satellites for this purpose in thepast, usually keeping the informationto themselves. Satellite images showevery new building, but they can’t show,for example, whether the buildings areinhabited or are used for civilian ormilitary purposes. Questions submittedby the Americans to the defense minis-ter’s office focus on new constructionnot only in the settlements themselvesbut also in areas close to them, “out-posts,” as they are known.

The tendency is to continue witheverything just as it was—to force thePalestinians to stop the violence and tocarry on building the settlements asthough nothing has happened. Manyin Israel understand by now that this isa no-win formula and that it will beaccompanied by constant bloodshed.Whether the sides will continue or stoptheir old deceptions depends in nosmall measure on the Americans.

Ze’ev Schiff, Ha’aretzNovember 16, 2001

PLEDGE, continued on page 9

January-February 2002 Report on Israeli Settlement ❖ 5

6 ❖ Report on Israeli Settlement January-February 2002

June 13 The Land Defense Committeereports that during the first week of June797 dunums of cultivated land were burned;4 workshops, 2 green houses, 3 homes andtwo schools were set on fire by settlers; andtwo new settlement points were established,one near Jit, village west of Nablus, andanother in al-Khader village. Al Quds

Israel confiscates 500 dunums of Palestinianland in al-Quarara, near the Gush Katif set-tlements, in the Gaza Strip. The land will berazed to establish an empty security beltbetween the settlement bloc and Palestinianareas. Hear Palestine, Al Quds

June 14 Settlers set up six caravansbetween Dayr Samit and Dura in Hebron,the site of a settlement point that was dis-mantled in 1992. Hear Palestine

June 17 Hundreds of Palestinians fromKhan Yunis storm the gate to the NeveDekalim settlement. A 12-year-oldPalestinian boy is reported killed whenIsraeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers shootrubber-coated bullets into the crowd.Arutz 7

June 18 A settler from Chomesh is killedin a drive-by shooting. Arutz 7

June 19 Israeli settlers from Einav set fireto 2,200 dunums of planted fields belongingto the nearby village of Beit Lid. PalestineMedia Center

June 20 Tanzim leader Marwan Barghoutiis reported by IDF radio to have said, “Wewill continue to besiege the settlers until allof them leave the territories.” Ha’aretz

Another settler from Chomesh is killed byPalestinian gunfire. Arutz 7

June 21 According to a poll in YediotAharanot, 20 percent of Israeli settlers in theWest Bank and the Gaza Strip can conceiveof relocating to Israel as the al-Aqsa intifadacontinues. Nineteen percent would considerpulling out “on condition of being able toobtain a home to replace that which theywould have to abandon.” Twenty-four per-cent say they would be unlikely to leave.Fifty-four percent are strongly opposed toleaving.

According to data released by MK MossiRaz, apartment sales in the occupied territo-ries in 2001 were down 44 percent comparedto the same period in 2000. Sales rose inGeva Benjamin, Givat Ze’ev and Ma’ale

Adumim, around Jerusalem—but fell in Al-fei Menashe, Ariel, and Efrat. AFP, Ha’aretz

June 23 Settlers from Yitzhar destroyproperty, burn fields, and set fire to aPalestinian police car in Burin. One hundredfifty settlers from Shilo attack Palestinianresidents and burn fields in Sinjil andTurmus. Palestinian Media Center

June 24 Israeli bulldozers destroy vast areasof agricultural land, greenhouses and waterreserves, in the al-Mighraqa area, south ofGaza, near Netzarim settlement. HearPalestine

June 25 The Israel Land Authority pub-lishes tenders for 38 plots in Ma’aleAdumim. Ha’aretz

Israeli defense minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer announces that 15 new settlementoutposts on the West Bank will be disman-tled for security reasons. Ha’aretz

Gunfire is exchanged in Hebron for the firsttime in one month. Ha’aretz

June 27 It is reported that since the start ofthe al-Aqsa intifada, Israel has demolished83 houses and shelled more than 2,000Palestinian homes in Rafah. Palestine Report

Ma’ariv reports that urban settlements willnow be responsible for marketing their landsdirectly to developers. Published tenders andnational oversight will no longer be required.

June 28 Settlers establish a new settlementpoint near Saffarin. Hear Palestine

Israel bulldozes vast areas in Gaza’s BeitLahya for a new bypass road for Dugit andother settlements. Hear Palestine

One settler is killed and another is injuredby Palestinian gunfire near the settlement ofGanim, in the Jenin region. Al Quds

June 30 Residents of al-Nabi Salah, BeitRima, Dayr Ghassana, Dayr Nitham, KfarEin, and Qarawat Bani Zayd have beenwithout water for more than 20 days.Settlers cut off their supply.

July 2 Israel bulldozes 100 dunums of landin Surif, Hebron, to expand a newly estab-lished settlement point. Hear Palestine

A tender for the sale of 39 building plots inElkana is published. Ma’ariv

July 6 Kol Hazeman reports that 31 settlershave been killed by Palestinians sinceOctober 2000.

July 8 Settlers set up caravans in Ramin,north of Einav settlement, and attack Pale-stinian inhabitants of Beit Lid, Saffarin andShufa on route to Tulkarem. Hear Palestine

July 10 Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharonvisits the Golan for the first time since tak-ing office and announces, “There will be noreal peace if we’re not here. . . . Only byexpanding the existing communities andenlarging the Jewish population on theGolan Heights will the Jewish establishmenthere become irreversible reality.” Arutz 7,Israel Line

July 11 Ha’aretz reports that there weremore than 700 shooting incidents on roadsin the occupied territories in the precedingnine months. Of the 49 Israelis killed on theWest Bank, 27 were shot while driving.

July 13 A settler from Kiryat Arba diesafter being shot the previous night. Inresponse to the murder, Israeli forces haveforbidden Hebron’s Palestinian residentsfrom exiting the city by car. Ha’aretz

Arutz 7 reports, “Civilians and soldiers areworking together in YESHA. Civilian civilpatrols on the roads of Judea and Samariahave become more widespread over the pastfew days. Armed residents patrol and manstrategic hilltops in complete coordinationwith the IDF. An army officer briefs theparticipants before each mission.”

July 17 Israeli forces assassinate a Hamasleader in Bethlehem. In retaliation, and forthe first time since the outbreak of the al-Aqsa intifada, Palestinians fire two mortarshells at the Jerusalem neighborhood ofGilo. Jerusalem Post, Ha’aretz

July 18 Fourteen Palestinian factions issuestatements vowing to target “every soldierand every settler” in the aftermath of a heli-copter gunship attack in Bethlehem the pre-vious day. Ha’aretz

YESHA announces the start of constructionon 200 settlement units in the Neghuhotmilitary post near Hebron. Land belongingto the Palestinian residents of Dura is beingconfiscated for the transformation of themilitary camp into a settlement. Al Hayat, AlJadida

July 19 Three Palestinians, including aninfant, are killed and five are injured in adrive-by shooting near Hebron. An organi-zation calling itself “The Committee for

SETTLEMENT TIME LINE

Safety on the Roads” claims responsibility.Ha’aretz

July 23 An 18-year-old Israeli is kidnappedfrom Pisgat Ze’ev and murdered.A Fatah group claims responsibility. Arutz 7

Ten percent of small and medium-size set-tler enterprises have closed since October2000 and an additional thirty percent havestopped conducting business. Ha’aretz

July 26 According to the PalestinianSociety for the Protection of Law and theEnvironment (LAW), Israel has demolished249 homes and destroyed 12,370 trees sinceSeptember 2000.

A 17-year-old Israeli is killed by gunfirewhile traveling on the Jerusalem-Givat Ze’evroad. The Jerusalem Post

Ha’aretz reports that sales of apartments inHar Homa have significantly risen, follow-ing the Housing Ministry’s decision to grantspecial incentives to prospective buyers.Overall, 730 homes in the settlement havebeen purchased.

July 28 According to the Independent, the35,000 Palestinians living in the Israeli-con-trolled sector of Hebron have been undercurfew for more than 128 days since lastSeptember.

July 29 The Telegraph reports that sincePalestinians began firing at Gilo from BeitJala in October 2000, 500 buildings in BeitJala have been damaged, five people havebeen killed and more than a hundredwounded in Israeli retaliatory attacks.

July 31 Palestinians fire 26 mortar shellsand detonate 100 hand grenades at severalsettlement communities in Gaza. Ha’aretz

Ma’ariv reports that the IDF has requested$80 million to defend settlements along theGreen Line. The funds will be used topurchase thousands of bulletproof vests and security rooms for protection againstmortars.

Eli Malka, deputy mayor of the GolanRegional Council, notes, “This has been ourbest year in the past 15 years—in terms ofconstruction, development, population,tourism, and general serenity. The cloud ofuncertainty that has been hanging over ourheads for the past ten years has lifted, andthere are now at least 14 communities in theGolan that are building and selling plots and

growing. In less than a year, we have ab-sorbed over 300 new families, with more onthe way. There is currently not one emptyhouse in the Golan.” Arutz 7

August 2 Arutz 7 reports Palestinian gun-fire and grenade attacks against the towns ofBeit-Chaggai, P’sagot, Susia, Nvei D’kalimand on the Ayosh juction. Mortar shells arelaunched at Ali Sinai and Kfar Darom.Ganim and Kadim are reported withoutelectricity, in addition to having to rely onwater from tanks supplied by the army. IsraelElectric Company technicians refuse to enterPA-controlled Jenin to restore power.

August 5 Settlers occupy and enclose witha fence hundreds of dunums of Palestinianland east of Jaloud. Hear Palestine

Palestinians fire on a three-car convoy of set-tlers traveling near Alfei Menashe. A preg-nant woman is killed and five other peopleare wounded. Israel Line

August 6 Israel closes off five large Pale-stinian towns (Nablus, Tulkarem, Jericho,Ramallah and Qalqilya) and partially closesoff three others (Hebron, Bethlehem andJenin) following the previous day’s shooting.

Official Palestinian sources report that Israelioccupation forces have razed and burned3,669 dunums of agricultural land since lateSeptember 2000. They have also uprootedand burned 26,570 olive trees. PalestineMedia Center

Israel opens a new settlement road to con-nect the Karmel and Ma’on settlements.Hear Palestine

August 7 A settler from the Jordan Valleyis shot and killed while driving betweenAriel and the Tapuach junction. JerusalemPost

August 9 Elon Moreh settlers begin clear-ing Palestinian land in Banoun in prepara-tion for settlement construction. HearPalestine

One Israeli is killed by Palestinian gunfirebetween Einav and Avnei Hefetz, nearTulkarem. Israel Line

August 15 In southern Nablus, Israeli set-tlers attack Palestinian vehicles with stonesand clubs and prevent their crossing at gun-point. Hear Palestine

August 16 Israeli Defense MinisterBinyamin Ben-Eliezer threatens to invade

Beit-Jala and confiscate homes he claims are being used to fire at the settlement ofGilo.

August 17 Israeli forces set up a six-meter-high fence around Husan village, along thebypass road leading to the Betar Ilit settle-ment. Hear Palestine

August 18 The Temporary InternationalPresence in Hebron (TIPH) announces thatit is suspending patrols to the area of the oldcity of Hebron because of settler assaultsagainst its observers.

August 19 The Israeli construction compa-ny Mashov announces plans to develop 217new dwellings in the Givat Ze’ev settlement.Prices will range from $180,000 to$280,000, and units will be ready for occu-pancy in June 2003. Ha’aretz

August 20 Settler set up four new caravansin Susia, south of Yatta. In the town ofDura, Israel bulldozes land for settlementexpansion. Hear Palestine

A tender is published in Yediot Aharanot forthe construction of 131 dwelling units in theEast Jerusalem settlement of Pisgat Ze’ev.

August 21 The Sharon government trans-fers $50 million to the Jerusalem municipali-ty for infrastructure improvements in EastJerusalem, part of an effort to equalize serv-ices throughout the city. Ha’aretz

A Jerusalem official reports that 22 allegedlyillegally built Palestinian homes have beendemolished in 2001, compared to 17 duringa similar period in 2000. Yediot Aharanot

Settlers are among the suspects in the poi-soning of agricultural animals near the set-tlement of Itamar. Ha’aretz

August 22 Ha’aretz reports IDF statisticsshowing a marked decline in the number ofshooting incidents in the occupied territoriesin the proceeding two weeks—shooting hasbeen directed at IDF outposts rather thansettlers and civilians.

August 23 B’Tselem reports that betweenJanuary and August 20, 2000, Israel demol-ished 9 Palestinian houses in East Jerusalemand 12 in the rest the West Bank. Duringthe same period in 2001, Israel demolished25 houses in East Jerusalem and 99 in theWest Bank. Newsday

January-February 2002 Report on Israeli Settlement ❖ 7

TIME LINE, continued on page 9

SETTLEMENT TIME LINE

8 ❖ Report on Israeli Settlement January-February 2002

the Israeli national anthem, “Hatikva,” and it would be to noavail.

In recent months Sharon has had one overriding objec-tive—preventing the presentation of a U.S. plan establishing aframework for a resumption of diplomacy and offering anoutline for its implementation. The events of September 11,and the early assumption that U.S. coalition building wouldnecessarily come at Israel’s expense, lent this objective evengreater import. Sharon faced the prospect of an Israel isolatednot only locally and regionally, but also strategically, from themost significant U.S. policy initiative since the Gulf War.

“There is a certain moment when you discover they areworking behind your back,” noted Sharon in early October,shortly after he astonished Washington by linking PresidentGeorge W. Bush’s policies regard-ing Israel to Neville Chamberlain’sappeasement of Nazi Germany.

The instructive example of for-mer prime minister YitzhakShamir is closer in time and rele-vance to Sharon’s personal experi-ence. Shamir, who bowed to U.S.pressure not to enter the Gulf War,was forced to go to the Madridpeace conference in October 1991before being defeated by YitzhakRabin who, unlike Shamir, cham-pioned the American initiative.Sharon, who viewed Shamir’sundoing first hand, is determinednot to suffer a similar fate.

Yet if the U.S. campaign againstOsama Bin Laden had the poten-tial to disrupt U.S.-Israel relations,it also presented Sharon with anopportunity to expand his cam-paign against Arafat and the PA.On September 17, IDF chief of staff Shaul Mofaz declared,“Now, after the terrible injuries in the United States, we haveto strengthen the delegitimization of the Palestinian Authori-ty as a organization that encourages terror and gives it sanctu-ary, not to ease up on it.

“Immediately after the event,” Mofaz continued, “I tele-phoned the American chief of staff with my condolences. Hethanked me and said, ‘Who but the Israelis can understandwhat is in our hearts.’”

Indeed, since September 11 Sharon’s preferences appear tohave been realized. The concern about a regional U.S. strategyprejudicial to Israeli interests has receded. Closer to home,fears of a U.S. negotiating roadmap for the Israeli-Palestinianconflict have been assuaged by entirely manageable statementsfrom Washington, including Bush’s “vision” of Palestinian sov-ereignty, and limited diplomatic initiatives lacking energetic

White House patronage. These developments have proceededin tandem with growing U.S. sympathy with the operationalelements of Mofaz’s campaign of delegitimization, includingextended incursions into Area A.

The only redline President Bush articulated at a December9 meeting was to ask Sharon to refrain from deliberatelyharming Arafat. At a subsequent cabinet meeting, Sharonexplained, “I promised Bush I would not touch Arafat, but Ican get close to him.”

Settlers were the first to advocate that Israel defeat the PAmilitarily. Over the months they have expanded the notion of“letting the IDF win.” Today the settler agenda includes dis-arming all Palestinians, physically removing Arafat and thePA leadership, and reoccupying Area A cities in the WestBank. There are far fewer references specifically to Gaza,where 7,000 settlers are vastly outnumbered by more than

1 million Palestinians. After allPalestinian elements are disarmed,settler leaders propose that the IDFwithdraw from Palestinian citiesand, presumably, the Palestinianswill be permitted to attend to theireveryday, local affairs.

“I believe that Sharon too isinterested in disarming the Pale-stinian Authority, but he believesthat he is not strong enough tomanage such a step. I fear that hewill wait until 70 Jews are killed inone strike,” observed Adiel Mintz,a settler from Dolev, near Ramal-lah, and the recently appointeddirector general of YESHA.

The Bush administrationappears satisfied with a role thatrecalls the activity of U.S. diploma-cy in the 1980s more thanWashington’s activism during theMadrid-Oslo period. This posture

has presented Sharon with unprecedented freedom to pro-mote his own vision of the future. Within days of his meetingwith Bush, Sharon redefined the PA as “an entity supportingterror” and declared Arafat to be “irrelevant.” Removing thePA and Arafat from the equation deals a death blow to theentire diplomatic, security, and political framework estab-lished, with U.S. support, during the last decade.

Arafat has facilitated this process by failing to challengeIsraeli policy in such a manner that would force Sharon torefashion his policies or compel the Bush administration tointervene actively on the Palestinians’ behalf.

Sharon’s intent to undermine the PA can be confronted.Until now, however, Arafat has not been up to the task, andthe Bush White House has not been convinced of the need todo so. �

SHARON, continued from page 1

The claim of the left-wing that we haveno alternative is wrong. We are not seekingan alternative, because we have a way, a path:The Land of Israel is all ours, and we have tosettle it, and we must continue the process ofthe Jews’ return to their land, as told in theProphets. We have had the privilege to seethe Land become more and more settled,and especially since the Six Day War, whenwe were allowed to return to the importantsites of Jerusalem, Hebron, Nablus, Beit El,Jericho, and thank God, the verse is beingfulfilled: “You, mountains of Israel, shallbring forth your bounty to the People ofIsrael who have returned here.”

Kedumim mayor Daniella WeissArutz 7, November 18, 2001

August 25 Palestinian gunmen kill twoIsraelis traveling on the Jerusalem-Modi’inhighway. Arutz 7

August 27 YESHA announces that thesettler population in the West Bank andGaza has increased by 17,000 since August2000, to a total of 227,000. Arutz 7

In response to Israel’s assassination of AbuAli Mustafa, head of the Popular Front Forthe Liberation of Palestine, the head of secu-rity for four Nablus area settlements is shotand killed. Arutz 7

August 28 After two weeks of relativecalm, Gilo comes under renewed fire. Israelreoccupies Beit Jala, taking over a number ofbuildings reportedly used by Palestinians tofire at Gilo.

PA leader Yasser Arafat orders gunmen tostop shooting toward Gilo. Arutz 7

August 29 Settlers shoot at a Palestiniancar driving near the Anatot military camp in Anata, northeast of Jerusalem, killing one civilian and injuring two others. Anorganization calling itself Elazar takesresponsibility.

August 30 Israeli forces under the cover ofheavy gunfire penetrate PA-controlled AbuSnaina, in Hebron. Hear Palestine

August 31 Yerushalim reports that aproposed electronic security fence around the settlement of Efrat will be financed in part through private American contri-butions. �

to remove from settlements like Yizharand Itamar the potentially fatal designa-tion as “isolated settlements.” A similarlogic is apparent in the Talmonim bloc,northwest of Ramallah. New settlementareas in the south Hebron hills and theEtzion bloc, on the other hand, appearaimed at making political statementsabout the vitality of the settlemententerprise.

Defense Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer declared on June 25, 2001, that15 of these outposts were security risksand would be dismantled. The IDFreported in July that 12 outposts, mostof which were uninhabited, had beenevacuated voluntarily, including 5 thatwere subsequently occupied by IDFpersonnel. Peace Now reported inOctober 2001, however, that only onesettlement site had been evacuated. U.S.sources confirm that an undeterminednumber of these outposts remainedunder settler control. At others, civilianswere replaced by military personnel.Past experience suggests that civilianswill eventually return to these sites.

“Our position is simple,” explainedPinchas Wallerstein, head of a regionalcouncil of settlements in the centralregion of the West Bank. “Outposts thatarose for security purposes, which thearmy is willing to take over, we have no

objection to their removal. But regard-ing those that arose for settlement pur-poses there is no way that we will agreeto evacuate them.”

In early December, it was reportedthat more than 50 outposts will be con-nected to Israel’s national electricitygrid, a move described by Kol Hazemanas “another step in cementing their via-bility as [settlement] communities.”

“An outpost is like a baby,” explainedAvigdore Leiberman, a member ofSharon’s cabinet. “Connecting them tothe electricity network is like growingteeth. Ehud Barak granted the outpostsa seal of approval, and everything thathas happened since is both natural andacceptable.” �

January-February 2002 Report on Israeli Settlement ❖ 9

TIME LINE, continued from page 5 PLEDGE, continued from page 4

New Settlement Outposts

Year New Outposts

1996 8

1997 2

1998 13

1999 19

2001 29*

* Including one in the Gaza Strip.

Source: Yediot Aharanot, December 16, 2001

S E T T L E R FA S H I O N S

Bush Speaks on Palestine

The American government also stands by its commitmentto a just peace in the Middle East. We are working toward aday when two states, Israel and Palestine, live peacefullytogether within secure and recognize borders as called for bythe Security Council resolutions. We will do all in our powerto bring both parties back into negotiations. But peace willonly come when all have sworn off, forever, incitement, vio-lence and terror.

Remarks by U.S. President George W. Bush to the United Nations General Assembly,

November 10, 2001

Powell Calls for an End to Israeli Occupation

In the absence of peace, Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza has been the defining reality ofPalestinians’ lives there for over three decades, longer thanmost of the Palestinians living there have been alive. Theoverwhelming majority of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza have grown up with checkpoints and raids andindignities.

Israeli settlement activity has severely underminedPalestinian trust and hope. It preempts and prejudges the out-come of negotiations and, in doing so, cripples chances forreal peace and security. The United States has long opposedsettlement activity. Consistent with the report of the commit-tee headed by Senator George Mitchell, settlement activitymust stop.

For the sake of Palestinians and Israelis alike, the occupa-tion must end. And it can only end with negotiations. Israelisand Palestinians must create a relationship based on mutualtolerance and respect so negotiations can go forward.

Israel must be willing to end its occupation, consistent withthe principles embodied in Security Council Resolutions 242and 338, and accept a viable Palestinian State in whichPalestinians can determine their own future on their own landand live in dignity and security. They, too, will have to makehard compromises.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell,excerpted from remarks at the

McConnell Center for Political Leadership,University of Louisville, Kentucky,

November 19, 2001

The Link between Settlements and the Intifada

Taking strong issue with proponents of a harder line,Meretz lawmaker Ran Cohen, himself a reserve army colonel,said that, “after 14 horrific and terrible months of violence,with murderous terrorist attacks, we finally, finally weresucceeding.”

“There were three weeks in which the violence was downby nearly 95 percent. For some of the people in the govern-ment this was perhaps an uncomfortable situation. Thegovernment says it wants seven days of quiet, then it doeseverything it can to assure that there will not be seven days ofquiet. Why? Because if there were seven days of quiet, itwould have to freeze settlements—and the settlers, in fact,have this government by the throat.”

Ha’aretz, January 16, 2002

Kurtzer Criticizes Settlements

On December 19, 2001, U.S. ambassador Dan Kurtzer, in aspeech at an Israeli economic conference, said that Israelneeds to invest money in its future, in infrastructure and thedevelopment of Arab Israelis, and not in areas that do notcontribute to its economy, such as settlements.

Ha’aretz, December 20, 2001

The Golan Is Booming

Eli Malka, deputy mayor of the Golan Regional Council,notes, “This has been our best year in the past 15 years—in terms of construction, development, population, tourism,and general serenity. The cloud of uncertainty that has beenhanging over our heads for the past ten years has lifted, andthere are now at least 14 communities in the Golan that arebuilding and selling plots and growing. In less than a year, wehave absorbed over 300 new families, with more on the way.There is currently not one empty house in the Golan.”

Arutz 7, July 31, 2002

YESHA’s Ideological Offensive

First and foremost we need to free ourselves from the concep-tion that “occupation corrupts.” Most of the people do notwant to be “occupiers” or “destroyers.” We will embark on amassive campaign of conceptual change that will explain thatwe are not occupiers of Judea and Samaria [the West Bank],because a people cannot be occupiers in its own country. ThePeople of Israel returned to its country and they call theJewish communities in Judea and Samaria “colonies!” Take themost moral and just idea and turn it into something that isthe least moral and just. This is a distortion of the Zionistidea. We need to return to the fundamentals.

Adiel Mintz,director-general of

The Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza District [YESHA],

Kol Hazeman, December 21, 2001

10 ❖ Report on Israeli Settlement January-February 2002

COMMENTS ON THE CURRENT SITUATION

3. The participating High Contracting Parties reaffirm theapplicability of the Convention to the Occupied PalestinianTerritory, including East Jerusalemand reiterate the need for fullrespect for the provisions of thesaid Convention in that Territory.Through the present Declaration,they recall in particular the respec-tive obligations under the Conven-tion of all High ContractingParties (para 4–7), of the parties tothe conflict (para 8–11) and of theState of Israel as the OccupyingPower (para 12–15).

5. The participating HighContracting Parties stress that theFourth Geneva Convention, whichtakes fully into account imperativemilitary necessity, has to berespected in all circumstances.

6. The participating HighContracting Parties see the need torecall basic humanitarian rules withregard to persons taking no activepart in the hostilities, which shall be treated humanely with-out any discrimination, and to recall the prohibition at anytime and in any place whatsoever of acts of violence to lifeand person, torture, outrages upon personal dignity and ofarbitrary or extra-judiciary executions.

8. The participating High Contracting Parties call uponthe parties to the conflict to ensure respect for and protectionof the civilian population and civilian objects and to distin-guish at all times between the civilian population and combat-ants and between civilian objects and military objectives. Theyalso call upon the parties to abstain from any measures of bru-tality and violence against the civilian population whetherapplied by civilian or military agents and to abstain fromexposing the civilian population to military operations.

12. The participating High Contracting Parties call uponthe Occupying Power to fully and effectively respect the

Fourth Geneva Convention in theOccupied Palestinian Territory,including East Jerusalem, and torefrain from perpetrating anyviolation of the Convention.They reaffirm the illegality of thesettlements in the said territoriesand of the extension thereof.They recall the need to safeguardand guarantee the rights and access of all inhabitants to theHoly Places.

13. The participating HighContracting Parties call upon theOccupying Power to immediatelyrefrain from committing gravebreaches involving any of the actsmentioned in art. 147 of theFourth Geneva Convention, suchas wilful killing, torture, unlawfuldeportation, wilful depriving of therights of fair and regular trial,extensive destruction and appropri-

ation of property not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly. The participating HighContracting Parties recall that according to art. 148 no High Contracting Party shall be allowed to absolve itself ofany liability incurred by itself in respect to grave breaches.The participating High Contracting Parties also recall theresponsibilities of the Occupying Power according to art. 29of the Fourth Geneva Convention for the treatment of protected persons. �

January-February 2002 Report on Israeli Settlement ❖ 11

CONFERENCE OF HIGH CONTRACTING PARTIES TO THE FOURTH GENEVA CONVENTION: DECLARATION

The participating High Con-tracting Parties call upon theOccupying Power to fully and effec-tively respect the Fourth GenevaConvention in the OccupiedPalestinian Territory, including EastJerusalem, and to refrain from per-petrating any violation of theConvention. They reaffirm the ille-gality of the settlements in the saidterritories and of the extensionthereof. They recall the need tosafeguard and guarantee the rightsand access of all inhabitants to theHoly Places.

A conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth GenevaConvention concerning the application of international humani-tarian law in the occupied Palestinian territories took place inGeneva on December 5, 2001.

The four Geneva Conventions were adopted in 1949 by therepresentatives of 48 states convened at Geneva. They are todayone of the major sources of international humanitarian law andthey are binding upon 189 signatory states. The Fourth Conven-tion aims at protecting the civilian persons in enemy hands,notably those residing in occupied territories.

The conference was attended by 122 participants, of which 114were High Contracting Parties and 8 others were participants andobservers. Three of the 189 High Contracting Parties, includingthe U.S. and Israel, declined to take part in the Conference.

The Conference published a Declaration reaffirming the appli-cability of the Fourth Geneva Convention to the occupiedPalestinian territories, including East Jerusalem. The Declaration,excerpts of which are published below, was supported by all theparticipating states, and thus constitutes a reference document rep-resenting a broad consensus of the international community.

Firing incidents at settlements 736

Firing incidents at Israeli vehicles 1,369

Mortars fired at Gaza settlements 600

Incidents involving grenades 778

Roadside explosive devices 447

Palestinian civilians killed by Israeli civilians 13One was an infant.

Israeli civilians killed in the Occupied Territories by Palestinians 83Nine were minors under the age of 17.

Injuries to Israelis in Occupied Territories 555

Injuries to Israelis within Israel 443

Reported breaches of law by settlers:West Bank 140Gaza Strip 10

Apartment sales of new apartments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip January-August 2001 507[5 percent of national total]

New housing starts in settlements—January-June: 832

Settler Population (excluding East Jerusalem):January 1, 2002 213,672January 1, 2001 203,067

Foundation for Middle East Peace1761 N Street, N.W.Washington, D.C. 20036Telephone: 202·835-3650Fax: 202-835-3651E-mail: info@fmep.orgInternet: http://www.fmep.org

It is incumbent on all parties to create the optimal conditions to defeat terror. A determineddecision to fight terrorism entails facilitating and enabling the efforts of the Palestinian Authorityto this effect. It cannot be achieved by targeting the PA, its institutions, and leaders. Other meas-ures, such as the collective punishment or re-occupation of a civilian population, land confisca-tions, and assassinations are also detrimental to this end, self-defeating, and inherently wrong.The deplorable phenomenon of suicide bombers has to be decisively stopped.

The elected leaderships on both sides remain the relevant addresses for a peaceful resolution.A unilateral resolution by one party does not alter the fact that the PA and Israel are the only partners for peace.

From an open letter to the EU presidency on the occasion of the Laeken Summit December 14, 2001,signed by Israelis MK Yossi Sarid, chairman of the opposition, the Meretz Party, and Yossi Beilin,

former justice minister, the Labor Party; and Palestinians Yasser Abed Rabbo, PA minister ofinformation and culture, and Dr. Nabil Sha’ath, minister of planning and international cooperation

INTIFADA REPORT ON ISRAELI SETTLEMENTSOCTOBER 2000–DECEMBER 2001