Oh Dear. It’s done it again. (oops) Israel has gone and created another obstacle to advocacy.
Expropriating 4 sq km of ‘Palestinian’ land in the occupied West Bank might look like a good idea to some Israelis who (quite understandably) fear that Israel is not much further forward that it was more than 2000 deaths ago, but it’s not very helpful to anyone who taken on the seemingly un-winnable task of trying to defend Israel against accusations of ‘not wanting peace’.
However justified it might look to lawyers and pro-Israel legal eagles who are willing to delve deeply into the legitimacy of such a move, to those waiting for an opportunity to help counteract the brutality we’ve seen from Islamic terrorists, we’ll call it the ‘ISIL’ effect - which just might have swayed the waverers in Israel’s favour, well, they’ll be thinking this is just what the doctor ordered.
The detractors and Israel-bashers will be delighted.
I happened to see Gerald Kaufman almost come back to life as he castigated Israel with renewed passion in the HoC today while idly watching David Cameron’s long-awaited announcement about how he intends to get tough with our lovely returning Jihadis.
People who suspect that Hamas might not be as angelic as portrayed by the BBC, who, because of ISIL or ISIS or IS, might have been teetering on the verge of throwing their hats in with the Jewish state, will now be saying, “Ahh the BBC was right all along! Israel is an expansionist, land-grabbing bully, no wonder the Palestinians are resisting.”
For those of you with steely determination I give you this:
There is considerable confusion about the recent action of Israel’s civil administration declaring 988 acres of West Bank territory as state land. In general, West Bank territory may be divided into three legal categories: state land, private land, and land whose status is to be determined. The territory in question had the status of territory whose status is to be determined. Before the declaration of the land as state land, an investigation had to be undertaken by Israel’s civil administration that took several years in order to ascertain its exact status.- See more at: http://jcpa.org/israels-988-acres-of-west-bank-territory/#sthash.KQBG1KcX.dpuf
Those who oppose the recent declaration have 45 days to appeal the Israeli decision. When Palestinians have brought proof of ownership of contested territory to Israeli courts, including Israel’s Supreme Court, the courts have at times issued decisions calling on the Israeli government to restore the property in question to its Palestinian claimant, even if that requires dismantling the private homes of Israeli citizens. The determination of territory as state land as opposed to private land is a necessary action which helps avert errors in the future when these areas are developed.
But looking at the decision of Israel’s civil administration in a wider diplomatic context, it should be remembered that the Oslo II Interim Agreement, signed by Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat at the White House in 1995 (and witnessed by the EU), established a division of the West Bank into three areas: Area A, where the Palestinians had full control, Area B where there was mixed Israeli and Palestinian security control but full Palestinian civil control, and Area C, where Israel had full military and civilian control. Israeli responsibilities in Area C included the power of zoning and planning. The territory which Israel declared as state land is within Area C.
For those of you without I give you this:
