 Israel plans to build homes in East Jerusalem, Palestinians demand halt to restart peace talks The Israeli settlements in territories claimed by Palestinians returned to the center of discussion this week, with international pressure on the Israeli government to stop the construction of 1,600 houses in the eastern portion of Jerusalem. The measure has drawn criticism even from the more traditional Israeli ally, the United States. Last Friday (19), the diplomatic Quartet group on the Middle East (comprising of the U.S., European Union, Russia and the UN), which attempts to establish a plan for peace between Jews and Palestinians, called on Israel to freeze all settlements, and the Palestinians to not take steps that would undermine the start of negotiations. The diplomats also outlined a plan for both parties to achieve peace in two years. The Israeli public is divided - according to research commissioned by the newspaper Yediot Aharonot on Friday, 51% of respondents are in favor of building new settlements in Jerusalem, compared with 46%. In another survey, published the same day by the journal Haaretz, the difference is 48 to 41%, respectively. On the one hand, the Palestinians consider a halt to construction of settlements in both East Jerusalem and in the region of the West Bank, as pre-condition to peace negotiations. In turn, the current administration in Israel says the settlements are not harmful to the peace agreements, while Jerusalem is the "sole and undivided capital" of their country. "There is a connotation exaggerated around the issue of settlements. Building houses does not kill anyone, firing rockets, yes. To think the entire Arab-Israeli conflict revolves around this question is an artificial vision and populist," said the spokesman of the Embassy of Israel in Brazil, Raphael Singer. The diplomat rejects criticism that Israel does not seek to advance peace. "No country has done what we did today. We withdrew from Sinai in 1982 after signing a peace agreement in an area three times larger than ours. We left Gaza in 2005 evacuating eight thousand people, with families who were there for two generations. So everything can be negotiated," the diplomat said. But the executive director of the Brazilian Palestinian National Interest Committee (BPNIC), Husam Bajis, has an opposite view. "The settlements affect the lives of the residents of Palestinian towns close to them. Definitely not contributing to peace and affect the relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. " To the activist, the existence of settlements in itself is an illegal act from the standpoint of international law. These settlements are on the rise, are constructed unilaterally and considered illegal under Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention - which prohibits the taking of territory by force, preventing the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. They are also condemned by resolutions 242 (1967 after the Six Day War) and 338 (1973, after the Yom Kippur War) of the UN Security Council, demanding withdrawal from these territories. Thus, the international community has an obligation to stop these initiatives, "he said. Second to Bajis, the presence of settlements is a source of great suffering and hardship for the Palestinian people's daily lives. "To facilitate the expansion of settlements on Palestinian land, Israel continues to build a vast network of roads connecting one illegal settlement to another. At the same time, imposing a series of restrictions on mobility and access, hampering travel from one city to another. I speak of about 2.4 million Palestinians living for generations in the West Bank," he protests.  At that time, the total number of evacuees was 8 thousand in all settlements in the Gaza Strip and two in the West Bank, causing serious damage to the government of then prime minister Ariel Sharon. However, Bajis recalls that if this occurs, other problems may affect the Palestinians: "The unemployment rate will certainly increase when the Israelis are gone." Singer, in turn, says Israel can discuss the topic, but recalls that many settlements already have more than twenty thousand inhabitants. "These are towns in practice." The Solution of Two States Bajis and Singer argue that the solution passes through the coexistence of two states. "We believe that only the establishment of a Palestinian state will bring peace to the region. Israel recognizes our right to exist, and the Palestinians, in turn, must take this into account," says Bajis. Singer recalls the Palestinian stance in establishing pre-conditions so the conversations can start. "Historically, (the Palestinians) will always find a reason not to negotiate, and now found these 1600 houses. But if they want to resolve the impasse, we have to negotiate. Although we do not agree on some points, they can not set preconditions." The diplomat said that Abbas, unlike Hamas, is considered by Israel a partner, but he must be willing to talk without conditions. "For the solution of two-states to become a reality, he must sit at a table. We have many things to handle but difficult to solve. Don't not just make statements to the press, we have to talk face to face, as it was decided in the past." However, the two sides disagree on important issues, especially regarding the division of Jerusalem. "Although not everyone agrees with us, Jerusalem is part of Israel, our capital city, any country has the right to build homes in its capital." The Palestinian position argues that with the creation of their future Palestinian state, East Jerusalem becomes the capital. International Community Bajis believes that without U.S. support, Israel would find itself in a difficult situation. "I believe that President Barack Obama could help to halt new settlements, but as he has many affairs to settle, I'm not optimistic about that." However, the activist points out the need to look into the positive aspects of the conflict. "The two main U.S. parties already recognize the need for the existence of two independent states. We now require that Palestinians and Israelis do the same and work together to seek peace and improve the lives of the Palestinian population." Singer already said that the international community should press for the speedy resumption of negotiations in order to avoid rising tensions . "There must be a commitment to eliminate the negative forces that are troubling the peacekeepers. I am speaking specifically of Iran, which supports groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. This policy is not only against the interest of Israel, but against the Palestinians themselves. " Context The Palestinians want to proclaim the West Bank and Gaza Strip a sovereign state. To do so, requires an Israeli withdrawal from all territories occupied since June 1967, including East Jerusalem. According to the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinians want "a state that is based on the 1967 borders." "The surface of the West Bank and Gaza Strip is 6205 km2 and we want these 6205 km2." Israel conquered in 1967, the eastern (Arab) Jerusalem and made it its own, and considers city the eternal and undivided capital the State of Israel. The Palestinian Authority wants to turn East Jerusalem the capital of their future state and asserts that this is a non-negotiable condition. In peace talks at Camp David in 2000, the Israeli prime minister at the time, Ehud Barak, broke the taboo and first proposed sharing sovereignty in East Jerusalem, suggesting that Arab suburbs be under Palestinian control. Barak also suggested giving special status to the mosque compound in East Jerusalem, the Muslim holy site built on the ancient temple of the Jews. There are four million Palestinian refugees driven from their homes when the State of Israel was created in 1948. The Palestinians have always demanded that Israel recognize the right of return of these people, as indicated in Resolution 194 of the UN General Assembly . Israel categorically refuses to grant the "right of return" because it would put an end to the Jewish character of the state, but is willing to tolerate the placement of these refugees in the future Palestinian state. Water Control
Besides this, Israel controls 80% of the ground water level, or first layer of underground water, in the West Bank. The Palestinians want to share it fairly and argue that their population grows faster and also suffers from a chronic shortage of this essential natural resource. Israel demands the Palestinians recognize the Jewish state as the "State of the Jewish people" in any future peace negotiations. But Palestinians believe that accepting this point would mean losing the right of return for their refugees. |
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Settlements Back to the Center of the Conflict Between Israel and Palestiniansposted Jul 4, 2010 11:03 PM by PNIC Staff [ updated Jul 5, 2010 5:29 AM ] |