By Eric C. Sigmund
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
JERUSALEM, Israel – Debate over Israel’s illegal settlement policy has reignited in recent days after Palestinian protesters were met by violent resistance from Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Israel’s temporary moratorium on settlement construction ended in September but many hope that recent international pressure will force the government to continue a “silent freeze.” Last month, members of the United Nations put forward a draft resolution condemning Israel’s building of settlements in the West Bank. The resolution failed only after the United States exercised its veto power in opposition to the resolution. While Prime Minister Netanyahu has come under intense fire from the international community, internal pressure from Israeli settlers may force him to take a more hardline stance on settlements in the future.
Since the settlement freeze, about 1700 new housing units in 67 different settlements have been constructed according to Peace Now and 4000 new housing units are still waiting government authorization. Despite further settlement development, the Prime Minister has been increasingly vocal about Israel’s unsustainable settlement policy noting that “the diplomatic struggle isn’t over additional building in the settlements, it’s over the settlements themselves.” While the Prime Minister has called for the immediate destruction of all illegal settlement outposts, actions speak loader than words. And while Netanyahu has promised one thing, he appears to be doing just the opposite. Despite his anti-settlement rhetoric, Netanyahu on Monday swore to legalize established outposts, stressing “we are currently making efforts to maintain existing construction.”
There are other reasons why the Prime Minister’s promise has been received with skepticism. The Israeli Supreme Court has already ruled that the settlements are a legal mechanism to promote and strengthen the Jewish state. In addition, “outposts” have a distinct legal meaning from “settlements” in Israel. Therefore, while the government has promised to dismantle all of its outposts, all Israeli settlements, which remain a central impediment to peace, will continue to stand. Finally, history has showed that anti-settlement policies are political suicide for Israeli Prime Ministers. This may be especially true for Netanyahu who has already faced intense backlash from his Likud party for being too soft on the settlement issue.
To address these concerns, one senior official noted that the government may seek a smaller piecemeal peace agreement with the Palestinian Authority. Prime Minister Netanyahu confirmed that such an approach may be taken by the government, calling this option a “phased path” which would seek to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict on an issue by issue basis instead of through a comprehensive treaty. This approach has already received substantial criticism from Palestinian officials and some in the international community; including German Chancellor Angela Merkel who has stressed the importance of a comprehensive peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Saeb Erekat, a senior aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stated “[t]his talk about interim agreement and ‘phased path’ is just a reflection of the fact that we don’t’ have a partner for the end game in this Israeli government.”
For more information please see:
Haaretz – Israel Vows to Raze all Illegal Outposts Built on Private Palestinian Land – Mar. 1, 2011
Vancouver Sun – Israel Might Seek Interim Palestinian Peace Deal – Mar. 1, 2011
Jerusalem Post – Netanyahu Slams Settlers Over Gilad Farm Clashes – Feb. 28, 2011
JTA – Settlers Accusing Netanyahu Gov’t of Imposing Silent Building Freeze – Feb. 28, 2011
