Article List
- The humanitarian impact on Palestinians of Israeli Settlements and other infrastructure in West Bank
Posted on: July 2007 This report examines the humanitarian impact on Palestinians from the ongoing construction of settlements in the West Bank and other Israeli infrastructure, such as the Barrier and the roads that accompany them. The analysis shows that almost 40% of the West Bank is now taken up by Israeli infrastructure. It also demonstrates how roads linking settlements to Israel, in conjunction with an extensive system of checkpoints and roadblocks, have fragmented Palestinian communities from each other. The deterioration of socio-economic conditions in the West Bank has been detailed in regular OCHA and World Bank reports over the…
Israel, since its occupation of Jerusalem, has pursued various policies to integrate East Jerusalem into Israel proper by augmenting the legal status of the city, annexing land and expanding Jewish settlements within and around the city. Since East Jerusalem is an occupied territory, such Israeli practices formidably violate international law, in particular the Geneva Convention, which clearly emphasizes the illegality of transferring the citizens of the occupier to the territory it occupies. However, Israel has managed to confiscate land around and within Jerusalem by issuing military orders that modify past Ottoman, British and Jordanian laws, i.e. by putting their settlement…
Posted on: 06/25/2014 By Ali Abunimah France today advised its citizens and companies against doing business with Israeli settlements in occupied territories. The government warned that firms could face legal action tied to “land, water, mineral and other natural resources” as well as “reputational risks.” The step could have implications for the Israeli economy far beyond activities limited to Israeli settlements themselves. The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC) welcomed the move. Spain, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Luxembourg are expected to publish similar guidance in coming days in what appears to be a coordinated move by European states. The French…
Posted on: December 2012 Key Facts Since 1967, Israel has established about 150 settlements (residential and others) in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem; in addition to some 100 “outposts” erected by settlers without official authorization. Three new settlements were approved in 2012 by retroactively ‘authorizing’ such outposts. In 2011, the settler population was estimated at over 520,000; the annual average rate of growth during the past decade was 5.3% (excluding East Jerusalem), compared to 1.8% for the Israeli population as a whole (ICBS). Up to 28 November, there had been a threefold increase in the number of new settler…
Posted on: JULY 2012 The Jordan Valley, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, has the potential to be the breadbasket of any future Palestinian state.However, the persistent expansion of Israeli settlements and other restrictions on Palestinian development have made life extremely difficult for Palestinian communities. New plans to increase the land, water, and infrastructure available to Israeli settlements will further aggravate this already serious situation. Unless the international community takes action to reverse Israeli government policies and practices, the prospects for the future establishment of a viable Palestinian state, living side by side with Israel in peace and security, look dangerously…
Posted on: December 1998 Foundation for Middle East Peace In its 1998 report the Foundation for Middle East Peace pointed out that 2,300 sq. km of the West Bank and Gaza were cultivated by Palestinians in 1967. Since then, the figure has dropped to 1945 sq. km, or 31.5% of the territories. The confiscation of arable land has led to a fall in Palestinian agricultural incomes and employment. (Agriculture employed 43% of the Palestinian active population in 1966, compared with only 22% in 1993.) In addition, the report condemns the confiscation of water and pollution by the settlements. The Foundation…
Posted on: March 2012 By Sawsan Ramahi Human beings are endowed with essential basic rights. These include the right to freedom, equality and prosperous natural living conditions. As such, every individual has a public duty to safeguard and improve the environment for the benefit of present and future generations. The Draft International Treaty on Third-Generation Rights, which deals with environmental, cultural and developmental rights, devotes two of its articles to the environment: Article 14 confirms that all persons have the right to a clean environment suitable for their economic, social, cultural and legal growth. Article 15 demands that Member States…
