The Effect of the Israeli Occupation on the Palestinian People

Simran Bindra

EDGE

Professor Bruce Lusignan

Friday, March 11, 2005

THE EFFECT OF THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION ON THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

Background

The issue of Palestine and Israel is one that has been hotly contested for over a thousand years. The last fifty years have been especially important in the history of the Jewish people and Palestinians. Since the death of Yasser Arafat on the 11th of November 2004[1], and the election of Mahmoud Abbas as his successor as leader of the Palestinian Authority, significant steps have been taken towards a lasting peace. This will hopefully lead to a conclusion of the second Palestinian intifada, which began in late September 2000, and to an end of the oppression of the Palestinian people by the Israeli Defense Forces. Both Jews and Arabs have suffered heavily from the conflict, thousands of innocent civilians have died on both sides, and peace is in the interests of all.

History of the Conflict

The disputed territory that has been alternately referred to as Palestine and Israel is relatively small, the total area is only roughly 22 000 square kilometers. It is bordered by Jordan on the East, Lebanon on the North, Egypt and the Mediterranean Ocean on the West, and shares 76 kilometers of border with Syria in the North East. The two disputed territories that are occupied by the Israeli Army but under the autonomous control of the Palestinian Authority are the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. These two territories amount to roughly 6400 square kilometers, the West Bank makes up the majority of this area – it amounts to 6000 square kilometers in the Eastern part of the country and borders the nation of Jordan.

Jews have long considered Israel to be their national home. They consider it to be a Holy Land, or a Promised Land – they believe it to be their right from God to live in the region. The area is also considered the birthplace of Christianity, Bethlehem the city where Jesus Christ was supposedly born is located in the region. It is also regarded as one of the most sacred sites for Islam. The fact that all three of these major religions claim the area as their own is one that makes conflict almost inevitable.

Archaeologists have unearthed evidence that inhabitants of the region were cultivating domesticated crops from as far back as 8000 B.C. The area was home to a series of Jewish kingdoms for over a thousand years until the Roman Empire expelled the Jews from the region in 73 A.D. after the Great Jewish Revolt.[2] The country was under the control of the Roman Empire until the 7th century when the Muslim Caliphate conquered the land. This first attracted Arab settlers to the region. In fact before the birth of Zionism there were only 10 000 Jews living in what is now called Israel.

The Zionist movement was formally started at the end of 19th century it was started by Theodor Herzl and called for the creation of a Jewish homeland in the Middle East. In 1917 the British passed the Balfour Declaration, which called for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.”[3] After the Agreement, immigration by Jews to Palestine increased substantially but Arabs still made up the vast majority of the population. The Zionist movement did not attract the attention of most of the international community until after the Second World War. The Holocaust, led by Nazi Germany, resulted in the deaths of over six million Jews and after the end of the war the world realized the desire of the Jewish people for a historic homeland of their own where they would be free from discrimination and persecution. The end of World War Two saw a dramatic increase in levels of violence carried out by both Jewish and Arab militant groups intent on the creation of a Jewish state and the removal of Jews from the area respectively.

On May 14, 1948 the State of Israel was proclaimed as a result of a United Nations Partition Plan. The Arab-Israeli war of 1948 – referred to as the ‘War of Independence’ by Israelis and ‘The Catastrophe’ by Arabs broke out immediately with Lebanese, Syrian, Iraqi, Egyptian, Jordanian, Saudi, and Yemeni troops invading the fledgling Israeli state. The Israelis successfully thwarted the Arab invasion and gained territories that remained Israeli until the new borders were drawn up in 1967. The war resulted in the creation of 600 000 Jewish refugees from Arab states, the majority of whom fled to Israel, and 750 000 Arab Palestinian refugees. Many of these Arab refugees were denied citizenship in neighboring nations and to this day many still remain in ‘temporary’ refugee camps where they have started families and created a second, and even third generation who have known nothing but life inside a refugee camp. Only around 20% of the existing Arab population remained within the new state of Israel[4]. The population of Israel doubled within the first year of formation as a result of Holocaust survivors who no longer felt comfortable living in their existing homelands, and Jewish immigrants from Arab countries.

War broke out between Israel and its Arab neighbors (Egypt, Syria and Jordan) on June 5th 1967. Israel successfully defeated the Arab forces after just six days and as a result of the short-lived war, Israel gained control of the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights. The newly conquered territory increased the size of Israel by a factor of four and placed one million more Arabs under the control of Israel. In addition to the Arabs under Israeli control, one million Arab refugees were created to join the refugee camps in neighboring countries. The 1967 war had huge political significance. Israel showed the world that it was able to defend its territory and that it was able, and prepared to launch strategic strikes that could result in gaining territory and upsetting the balance in the region. The Arab nations did not appear to learn strategic lessons. They launched a third war in 1973 in the hope of regaining their territory lost to Israel, but they were able to adjust their military techniques, and so were hopeful that they would be more successful in future conflicts against the Jewish state.

On holiest day in the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur, of 1973 Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack together the aim of which was to regain the territory that they had lost in the Six Day war of 1967. This war was supported by a number of other Arab nations in the region. After the 1967 war, Israel had spent hundreds of millions building up her military and fortifying her borders with her neighbors. Because of this intensive defense work Israel was again able to hold back the Arab armies and eventually managed to push back her enemies to beyond the original lines established after the Six Day War. This war was especially controversial because of the timing of the Arab invasion – Yom Kippur is the Jewish Day of Atonement, it is regarded as the holiest and most serious day for all who follow Judaism. Jews are forbidden to work on Yom Kippur and so an attack on this day was seen as being incredibly disrespectful by most of the international community.

Peace Processes and Intifadas

Since the end of the Yom Kippur War there have been numerous attempts to achieve peace, many of these were bilateral agreements between Israel and leaders of the Arab world, but the more effective efforts were multilateral attempts involving other nations. The first significant attempts at peace were the Camp David Accords in September of 1978. These were signed by President Anwar Sadat of Egypt, and the Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. The agreements were moderated by President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, and were held at the White House. The agreements dealt with the future of the Sinai Peninsula and establishing autonomous regions in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The conclusions achieved at the Camp David Accords were highly unpopular in the Arab world as they resulted in an Arab state officially acknowledging the right of Israel to exist, and eventually led to the assassination of Sadat in 1981. Unfortunately, concessions promised by both sides failed to materialize and led to the “spontaneous outbreak of demonstrations in 1987”[5]. These demonstrations rapidly escalated and evolved into the first Palestinian intifada (the Arabic word for uprising). It was the start of a bloody campaign led and carried out mainly by armed Palestinian militant groups calling for an end of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and with a larger goal of removing the Zionist presence in the Middle East. The levels of extreme violence died down in 1991 and eventually came to an end in 1993 with the signing of the Oslo Accords.

The Oslo Accords were a peace effort that was more focused on the needs and wants of the Palestinian people than previous efforts. The counter part of the Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin was not a leader from one of Israel’s Arab neighbors but was the head of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, Yasser Arafat. These talks were initiated by the Norwegian government as they were seen as being impartial – it is unlikely that Norway had any ulterior motives in the Middle East, they were about as far removed from the situation as is possible. The Oslo Accords called for a removal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and for the two areas to be placed under Palestinian government through the creation of the Palestinian Authority – under the leadership of Yasser Arafat. This new Authority would be in power for half a decade before the possibility of permanent independence for the Palestinian people would be discussed. The Accords were praised by the international community and Arafat, Rabin, and Israeli Foreign Minister, Shimon Peres were all awarded Nobel Peace Prizes. Unfortunately, the proceedings that were supposed to come into effect as a result of the Oslo Accords failed to become actualized and the peace process stalled. American President Bill Clinton attempted to keep the process moving forward. In 2000, the conference referred to as the Camp David 2000 Summit took place. The Summit ended in failure with both sides refusing to come to any conclusions and the Second Intifada known as the al-Asqa Intifada sprung up. This uprising saw a huge increase in the number of Palestinian suicide bombers targeting Israeli citizens. The level of violence peaked in 2003. Suicide bombings were happening on an almost weekly basis, and the Israeli Army moved back to reoccupy the West Bank.

The Actions of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF)

The actions of the IDF since the start of the al-Asqa Intifada have been criticized by the majority of the international community with the notable exception of the United States. The IDF operates beyond the reach of international law in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Israel argues that her military should not be subjected to international legislation, as the conflict in the region is not an international one. However, the majority of the rest of the world disagrees. Most believe that the Second Intifada, in effect since late September of 2000[6], is an armed struggle between two neighboring states, and, as a result, should be subjected to legislation that is normally in place in times of war between two different countries. Israel’s belief that her army is not subject to these international laws is apparent in the IDF’s policies, which target civilians, and in other procedures that are regarded as illegal by most of the world. The doctrine of the IDF states that the purpose of their existence is: “To defend the existence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state of Israel. To protect the inhabitants of Israel and to combat all forms of terrorism which threaten the daily life.”[7] However, the IDF’s actions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have nothing to do with the defense of Israel and instead amount to a form of government-sanctioned terrorism. The IDF says that it carries out actions that are bound by human rights legislation; however, there is strong evidence that the opposite is the case and that the IDF frequently and knowingly breaks international laws.

There have been reports of the IDF engaging in the indiscriminate targeting of innocent Palestinian civilians, journalists and foreign aid workers; the use of civilians as human shields; the haphazard destruction of Palestinian homes; the disruption of daily life for thousands of Palestinians for no apparent reason; the interruption of ambulances and essential medical services; targeted assassinations of Hamas figures; and many other human rights violations that have left thousands dead and many more wounded. All of these actions are in defiance of international human rights laws, which prohibit the targeting of civilians, the use of excessive force and the targeting of medical personnel. [8][9] Israel argues that these actions are a legitimate response against Palestinian terrorists and that they should not be subjected to criticism as they are simply defending themselves against terrorists. The actions of Palestinian terrorists are also criticized by the international community, a major difference is that Israel is a legitimately recognized international state and as such has obligations to obey international laws.

The Effect of Israel’s Occupation on Palestinian Agriculture and Labor

The seizure of Palestinian lands has allowed Israel to develop settlements in the West Bank in what would otherwise be considered wilderness zones used for raising livestock. Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip are located in the most fertile land in the area depriving Palestinians of prime agricultural land and denying access to wells by Palestinians. Israeli settlements do not have adequate sewage facilities and sewage is allowed to drain out into areas adjacent to Palestinian villages without treatment. The seizure of Palestinian agricultural lands has resulted in a significant decrease of Palestinian Gross Domestic Product and a huge increase in unemployment.

However, the greatest obstacle to Palestinian agricultural development is not scarcity of land due to the land-grab carried out by Israel, but rather access to water. Almost the entire Israeli increase in the demand for fresh water since 1967 has been met by pumping in water from the Occupied Territories. Israel has only permitted Palestinians to increase their water use by 20% since 1967 – and this increase is only for personal use not agricultural and economic development[10]. This is restraining the Palestinian economy from reaching its full potential. Environmental regulations for Israeli firms located in the Occupied Territories are much laxer than the rest of Israel resulting in increased pollution that affects mainly the Palestinian people.

An example of the abuse of lax environmental regulations within the Occupied Territories is that of Geshurei Industries, a manufacturer of pesticides and fertilizers. The main factory belonging to Geshurei Industries was originally located in the Israeli town of Kfar Saba. However, anxiety over the quality and quantity of air and water emissions in addition to the waste produced by the factory, forced the Israeli courts to issue an order for the closure of the plant in 1982. However, a mere five years later, the plant reopened across the Green Line in the town of Tulkarem located in the West Bank. There are in effect no controls on either air pollution or waste disposal here and the factory has been operating since 1987 with pollution levels exceeding previously existing standards. Palestinian civilians complain that the presence of this factory is having detrimental effects on their health and quality of life but the Israeli governments refuse to issue a court order calling for either the closure of the plant or for it to follow stricter environmental regulations.

In 1987, 35% of the Palestinian workforce from the West Bank, and 45% of the Gaza Strip’s were employed in Israel. The majority of these Palestinian workers performed menial jobs. The total number of Palestinian workers in Israel fell from an average of 116 000 at the start of the 1990s to under 28 000 by 1996[11]. After the start of the Second Intifada Israel began using access to work as a form of collective punishment towards Palestinians. Every suicide bombing resulted in a closure of check points and a denial of Palestinian access to employment. This resulted in a surge of unemployment levels among Palestinian communities and thousands of families found themselves without a major breadwinner. Palestinians that were still allowed access to work in Israel were forced to pay income tax to the Israeli government. Before the al-Aqsa Intifada these income tax revenues were returned to the Palestinian Authority, however, when the Second Intifada began, Israel began withholding these tax revenues as an “incentive” to Yasser Arafat to stop the violence. As well as denying Palestinians labor, the Israeli government controlled Palestinians’ access to important commodities such as cement, flour, cigarettes and gasoline. This led to a huge increase in the quantities of commodities dealt with on the black market. Many of these products were smuggled into the Occupied Territories from neighboring nations, the revenues from these operations went towards financing illegal activities, including but not limited to supporting groups with links to terrorist organizations.