PALESTINE THE HOLY LAND March 2005 Brief Historical

PALESTINE THE HOLY LAND March 2005

Brief Historical Background

The Separation Wall n n n Length: 786 Km Heights: 2. 5 – 9 m 343000 inhabitants will be between the wall and the green line 103320 trees already >>>> The wall will use 43. 5% from the West Bank lands

Impact of Wall 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Completely surround 100, 000 people in 42 towns Reduce the available water supply by 1 billion gallons Confiscate hundreds of thousands of acres of land Severely restrict travel to jobs, hospitals and schools Adversely affect 4 out of 10 Palestinians

The Separation Wall

The Settlement n 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.

Number and Area of Settlements n n 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. Over 74 outposts (habitations built that are non-contiguous with the established settlements) were established after the Oslo Accord.

Number and Area of Settlements n The Israeli controlled areas (including settlements, military and industrial facilities) in the West Bank occupy 106 Km 2 (2. 1% of the area of the West Bank). Palestinian built-up areas occupy 283 km 2 (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.

Number and Area of Settlements n 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.

Number and Area of Settlements n n There are more than 403, 249 settlers in the West Bank. 211, 788 of these settlers live in Jerusalem. 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

Number and Area of Settlements n n There are 115 settlements located over water highly sensitive areas, and 25 settlements over water sensitive areas. 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. Each Israeli settler is allocated 1450 cubic meters per year.

The Settlements 1997 2003 The hill top pictured above is Abu Ghneim mountain. The second picture was taken during the construction of the Har Homa settlement. Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories increased 35% in 2003 even though population growth was just 5. 32% over the same period. That is almost 7 times higher than “natural growth” thereby illustrating the high vacancy rates found in settlements.

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Intifada Statistics n n n Palestinians Killed : 3798, Children, 749 Injured : 28530 Damaged Buildings: 66894 Reference : PCBS Extra Judicial Killings ( Targetted Killings): 288 Palestinians who were the target of an assassination: 181 !!!!

Imprisonment n n n Since 1967, over 600000 palestinians have been held in Israeli jails for periods ranging from one week to life, over 200 have died while in Israeli jails (Palestine times, no. 83, May 1998) During the first Intifada Israel arrested some 175, 000 Palestinians – (Passia) Palestinians in custody of Israeli security forces January 2005: 15676 Detention without trial (Administrative Detention) : 6 January, 2005, 848 Minors in detention (January 2005): 382 Betselem Torture: 85% of detainees tortured during interrogation – Betselem / Passia

Expropriation and Destruction of Land n n Since 1967, Israel (occupation authorities and settlers) have expropriated some 79% of the WBGS territory. (Betselem, Land Grab, Report, May 2002) Since 28 Sept 2000, and as of Oct 2003, Israeli forces have raised ……. . 13% of the total arable land in Gaza (PCHR Gaza) Passia

Demolition of houses n On 17 February 2005, the Minister of Defense announced a cessation of punitive house demolitions. From October 2001 (when house demolitions as punishment began again after a break of almost four years) to January 2005, Israel demolished 675 homes in the Occupied Territories as punishment. Betselem 3000 houses destroyed by Israeli Army during current intifada – (Haaretz, 11 Aug, 2003)

East Jerusalem Statistics on land expropriation in East Jerusalem since 1967 n Amount of land taken (in dunams): 23378 n Size of neighborhood (in dunams): 22571 n Number of housing units 2002: 44610 n Number of residents 2002 : 176647 n Revocation of Residency Rights!!! : 6396 Betselem

Movement of Goods and People n n n n Checkpoints Road blocks Control Towers Physical obstacles Forbidden Roads !! – 41 Roads / 700 km WB Overtaking military vehicles !!! Permits Movement between westbank and gaza West Bank Resident in Jerusalem Car!!!! Closure Siege Curfew Travel – Airport

Results of Occupation n n n n Destruction of infra structure Lack of information / Market access Limited Communications: 15 yrs for a phone line!!! Psychological trauma Unfair competition – dumping Racism and discrimination Obstruction of effective institutions Under-developed judicial system

Results on Palestinian population n n Mass scale loss of possessions Mass migration and displacement Psychological Devastation Lack of security Dependent economy

Palestinian Economy Vs. Israeli Economy

Elections Presidential elections, Seven Candidates: President Mahmoud Abbas 62% n Municipalities : - Phase one : 23 rd Dec. 2004, 26 villages in the WB, and ( ) 10 villages in GS - Phase two: May 2005, 89 locations - Phase three: Sep. 2005, n PLC : 17 th, July, 2005, 128 candidates, Mixed system “Proportional & Constituencies” n

Palestinian Needs n n n Independent, viable Palestinian State within 1967 borders East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian State Fair solution for the Refugees issue according to UN resolutions ST P O

Economic Comparative Analysis In the land between the Mediterranean sea and the Jordan river… Israel GDP Per Capita Annual Budget UN HDI Rank $117. 4 Billion $19, 500 $45. 1 Billion 22 out of 177 Unemployment 1 out of 10 Growth rate -0. 8% Palestine GDP Per Capita Annual Budget UN HDI Rank $2. 4 Billion $700 $1. 2 Billion 102 out of 177 Unemployment 1 out of 2 Growth rate -18% A Palestinian has to work for 28 years to earn what an Israeli does in one year Sources: United Nations 2004 Human Development Index (HDI), 2003 CIA World Fact Book.

Military Comparison Israel Main Battle Tanks Combat Aircraft Artillery 2001 Military Expenditures Official Active Forces – – – 3, 950 438 1, 542 $10. 1 billion 167, 600 Palestine 0 0 0 $85 million 35, 000 Israel continues to maintain tens of thousands of troops in the West Bank and Gaza – Israel invaded and occupied those areas in the 1967 war Source: Center for Strategic and International Studies “We can argue with the Palestinians about who’s to blame; but about who is suffering worse – there is no argument. They are a destitute nation living in an elaborate prison under the guns of the Israeli army. ” Jerusalem Post Editorial, March 3, 2004