Here’s the lastest on the E1 settlement expansion I wrote about a few days ago.
The Israel Defense Forces recently issued an order expropriating over 1,100 dunams of land from four Arab villages located between East Jerusalem and the West Bank settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim.
The land is slated to be used for a new Palestinian road that would connect East Jerusalem with Jericho. That in turn would “free up” the E-1 area between Jerusalem and Ma’aleh Adumim - through which the current Jerusalem-Jericho road runs - for a long-planned Jewish development consisting of 3,500 apartments and an industrial park.
The Palestinians and the international community, including the United States, have long objected to the E-1 plan on the grounds that it would cut the West Bank in two and sever East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank. Israel claims that the new road will solve this latter problem.
6 responses so far ↓
1 Noor Hammad // Oct 9, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Looks like Israel is preparing for the upcoming US brokered “peace talks” in typical fashion.
Noor Hammad
2 Pappe // Oct 9, 2007 at 3:31 pm
Tempest in a tea pot, once there will be an agreement the land will become Palestinian.
Israel has returned so many hectares of Arab land that I would not worry about few that are actually expropriates in order to build a road for the Palestinian.
3 Roehan // Oct 9, 2007 at 6:10 pm
Pappe,
Even if that may be true. I think that this does not make relations with the Arab community any better and it helps the extreme right of palistinian politics narrative of Israel as a land mongerer seem true.
4 Pappe // Oct 9, 2007 at 6:20 pm
Israeli population has ALWAYS been willing to compromise:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3457830,00.html
On the other hand the Hamas won 100% of the seats in Palestinian parliament allocated to East Jerusalem. You know that Hamas ideology does not recognize the rights of the Jewish people to a home land in the Middle East. Instead, in the name of their “rights” Palestinian (who voted for hamas) are happy with continuing the war until “winner takes all”. Who will it be:
Hamas or Israel ?
5 anony mouse // Oct 10, 2007 at 6:48 pm
That is a lie. Hama have stated over and over their acceptance of a two state solution. Israel does not accept the democratic rights of the Palestinians to choose their representatives and continues its terrorism against a helpless civilian population.
6 Bart // Oct 10, 2007 at 10:14 pm
Anony mouse. Where exactly have they stated that? Hamas spokesmen have repeatedly stated (to the Israeli press, just so Israelis don’t get the wrong idea) that they will never accept Israel as their neighbor and that any agreement is temporary until they have the power to get rid of Israel.
Israel accepts the right of the Palestinians to choose whomever they want to represent them.
Accepting that right doesn’t mean Israel needs to have any contact with the Hamas. The Palestinians knowingly elected a party that sees no future with Israel (perhaps they did it because the Fatah are corrupt, perhaps because they agree with the Hamas. Whatever. Their choice) and I’m sure they were aware that that would have consequences.
As far as compromise goes - In Israel, you can’t get elected (as PM) without stating that you are ready for a major compromise with the Palestinians. What the situation in the PA? Not very similar, is it?
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