200511 Guise Of Security Eng With Intro
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Under the Guise of Security Routing the Separation Barrier to Enable Israeli Settlement Expansion B’Tselem: The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories Bimkom: Planners for Planning Rights
Transcript of 200511 Guise Of Security Eng With Intro
Under the Guise of Security Routing the Separation Barrier to Enable
Israeli Settlement Expansion
B’Tselem: The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories Bimkom: Planners for Planning Rights
The barrier runs through the West Bank
Length of the Barrier: 680 kilometers
Twice the length of the green line
The barrier's routeThe principal human rights violation
Cost: US$2.5 million per kilometer
Total cost = $1.55 billion
Population affected: 490,000 Palestinians in 92 Communities directly affected
Amount of Land affected:
12.4% of the West Bank
The barrier runs through the West Bank
Israel: The route is based only on security considerations.
Is this the case?
Extensive infringement of Palestinian human rights
The barrier's routeThe principal human rights violation
The purpose according to the Cabinet's decision:
To reduce the entry of terrorists from Judea and Samaria to carry out attacks in Israel
The purpose according to the Defense Ministry:
"To reduce the ability of terrorists to infiltrate the territory of Israel from the territory of the Palestinian Authority."
Protection of settlements is not mentioned
The official versionThe considerations in setting the route
When the matter was heard in the High Court, the state was compelled to admit:
"Indeed, part of the route was planned to also grant protection to Israeli residents living in Judea and Samaria, who are also suffering from terror attacks."
And still...The principal justification for the route remains:Preventing entry into Israel
The official versionThe considerations in setting the route
Israel: The route is based on two "operational considerations"
Creating a buffer zone:An open area in which security forces can capture terrorists who get through the barrier
The official versionThe considerations in setting the route
Topographic superiority:Enables protection of army patrols along the barrier and prevents firing on communities.
Israel: The route is based on two "operational considerations"
The official versionThe considerations in setting the route
Israel:The barrier is a temporary measure
Requisition of land orders are for three years.
Israel has torn down fences it built along its borders.
The official versionThe considerations in setting the route
The official in charge of planning the route,Col. Dan Tirza:
“The fence does not give one centimeter to the settlements. The land for the settlements is determined by other means, in other places, and not by the fence’s route. I have a mission: I have to prevent terrorists from crossing.”
(June 2005)
The official versionThe considerations in setting the route
The route surrounds 60 settlements.
It separates the settlements from the rest of the West Bank.
It connects the settlements to Israel.
Is this the case?Only security considerations
In many cases,
the barrier runs right alongside the Palestinian built-up area.
In most cases,
the barrier is hundreds of meters from the houses in the settlements.
Is this the case?Only security considerations
B'Tselem and Bimkom studied 12 portions of the
route:
The desire to expand the settlements in the future
determined the route.
The barrier runs along the borders of the outline plans in
each case.
Is this the case?Only security considerations
The barrier creates permanent facts:
Even if it is torn down later,the new "neighborhoods" built as a result of the barrier will remain.
Temporal barrierSecurity arguments under challenge
A buffer zone is empty space, to chase after terrorists who crossed the barrier.
Built-up areais not a buffer zone.
Israel intendsto fill the empty area with new settlements.
Buffer ZoneSecurity arguments under challenge
More than once, in order to surround the settlement areas planned for construction, an inferior route was chosen.
The desire to expand settlements:
Endangers army patrols along the barrier
Enables gunfire on the Israeli side
TopographySecurity arguments under challenge
Road Map: Israel freezes all settlement activity (including natural growth of settlements)
Road map violationSettlement expansion
George W Bush:
“We expect all parties to adhere to the road map”
20.10.2005
Ehud Olmert:
“We will upholdthe road map”
17.1.2006
The barrier is far from the Green Line.
Much Palestinian farmland is situated in the “seam zone.”
Thousands of Palestinians receive permits to the “seam zone.”
Access from the “seam zone” to Israel is not blocked by the barrier.
The result: more Palestinians have access to Israel
Entry to IsraelSecurity arguments under challenge
In setting the route, Israel took into
account existing settlements.
Israel also took into account future settlements not yet built.
Grave violation of Palestinian human rights
Even more serious breach of human rights
SettlementsHuman rights violations
1. Separates Palestinians from their farmland.
2. Facilitates land expropriation.
3. Creates enclaves detached from the rest of the West Bank.
4. Blocks urban development of Palestinian communities.
The route:
Patterns of violation Human rights violations
The settlement currently has 200 housing units.
The Zufin settlementCase study: Separating farmers from their land
Zufin
Qalqiliya
Jayus
Tzur Yigal
a-Nabi Elyas
The "Nofei Zufin" outline plan calls for another 1,200 housing units.
In effect: a new settlement
The Zufin settlementCase study: Separating farmers from their land
Zufin
Qalqiliya
Jayus
Tzur Yigal
a-Nabi Elyas
Plan for an industrial and residential areas
The Zufin settlementCase study: Separating farmers from their land
Zufin
Qalqiliya
Jayus
Tzur Yigal
a-Nabi Elyas
The barrier surrounds this whole area.
The Zufin settlementCase study: Separating farmers from their land
Zufin
Qalqiliya
Jayus
Tzur Yigal
a-Nabi Elyas
70% of Jayus lands remain on the other side of the barrier.
Access to the land requires a permit.
Residents can cross only through one gate, during the hours it is open.
The Zufin settlementCase study: Separating farmers from their land
Zufin
Jayus
a-Nabi Elyas
Gate
Gate
Zufin
Qalqiliya
Jayus
Longer travel time
Reduced farm income.
Implementation of expansion plans will aggravate the harm.
The Zufin settlementCase study: Separating farmers from their land
Gate
Gate
a-Nabi Elyas
Modi'in Illit
Mattityahu
Hashmona'im
GaneiModi'in
Menora
Bil'in
Saffa
Harbata
Deir QaddisNi'lin
al-Midya
Modi'in
Shilat
Lapid
32,000 people live in the settlement bloc.
The Modi'in Illit blocCase study: Facilitating land expropriation
KiryatSeffer
Expansion plans for the settlements
GaneiModi’in C
GaneiModi’in B
Mattityahu North
Ne'ot Hapisga
Mattityahu East
Modi'in Illit
Mattityahu
Hashmona'im
GaneiModi'in
Menora
Bil'in
Saffa
Harbata
Deir QaddisNi'lin
al-Midya
Modi'in
Shilat
Lapid
The Modi'in Illit blocCase study: Facilitating land expropriation
KiryatSeffer
The separation barrier surrounds the area.
Modi'in Illit
Mattityahu
Hashmona'im
GaneiModi'in
Menora
Bil'in
Saffa
Harbata
Deir QaddisNi'lin
al-Midya
Modi'in
Shilat
Lapid
The Modi'in Illit blocCase study: Facilitating land expropriation
GaneiModi’in C
GaneiModi’in B
Mattityahu North
Ne'ot Hapisga
Mattityahu East
KiryatSeffer
600 dunams of land owned by residents of Bil’in will become part of Mattityahu East.
Fear:the land will be declared “state land”
Mattityahu East
Bil'in
KiryatSeffer Ne'ot
Hapisga
The Modi'in Illit blocCase study: Facilitating land expropriation
Qalqiliya
Alfe Menashe
Ras 'Atiya
a-Nabi Elyas
Nirit
Matan
Givat Tal1,400
housing units
Ilanit240 housing
units
The barrier surrounds the settlements, creating an enclave between it and the Green Line.
HablaRas a-Tira
a-Dab'a
Wadia-Rasha
'Araba-Ramadin
'Arab AbuFarda
“Jewish lands”1,300 housing
units
Alfe MenasheCase study: Creating enclaves
1,200 Palestinians live in the enclave's five villages.
Qalqiliya
Alfe Menashe
Ras 'Atiya
a-Nabi Elyas
Nirit
Matan
HablaRas a-Tira
a-Dab'a
Wadia-Rasha
'Araba-Ramadin
'Arab AbuFarda
Alfe MenasheCase study: Creating enclaves
a-Nabi Elyas
Ras a-Tira
a-Dab'a
Wadia-Rasha
'Araba-Ramadin
'Arab AbuFarda
Life in the enclaves:
Civil Administration permit required
Exit and entry only through gates and checkpoints
Daily life disrupted: even ambulances need to coordinate entry
Livelihood harmed: shepherds are separated from grazing lands
Impossible to hold family events
Alfe Menashe
Alfe MenasheCase study: Creating enclaves
The Separation Barrier in East Jerusalem.
Neve Ya'akovCase study: Blocking urban development
Inside Jerusalem municipality
Geva neighborhood
60,000 residents
Neve Ya'akov
Geva Binyamin
(Adam(
Hizma
a-Ram
Beit Hanina
Jaba'
Barrier “annexes” 1,800 dunams to Jerusalem.
Neve Ya'akovCase study: Blocking urban development
Geva is not an expansion of Geva Binyamin.
Barrier will blocka-Ram’s urban development.
Hizma and Jaba’ residents will lose access to grazing lands.
1,200 housing units
The settlements:breach international law
Acts intended to perpetuate the settlements are illegal.
Legal analysis Human rights violations
The route separates the settlements from the rest of the West Bank, and creates territorial contiguity between them and Israeli territory. This is the reason for the route, and for this reason also, the barrier's route is illegal.
The illegality is much more obvious when the objective is to expand existing settlements and to protect the interests of real estate developers.
Legal analysisLegal analysis Human rights violations
In order to enable settlement expansion, Israel has created a barrier that:
Compromises security,
Harms Palestinian rights,
Prevents creation of acontiguous Palestinian state.
Legal analysisImplications The route of the Barrier
B’Tselem: The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories Bimkom: Planners for Planning Rights
Israel has the right to defend itself.
If it requires a barrier,it may build it on the Green Line
or inside its own territory.
