Israel-Palestine: For Human Values in the Absence of a Just Peace | Page 19

Israel-Palestine: For Human Values in the Absence of a Just Peace

control of all of Jerusalem, extending its border eastward into the West Bank area.xxxiv
Palestinians, who see East Jerusalem as the capitol of their future state, have not
recognized this. According to international law, East Jerusalem is part of the West Bank,
but this report often discusses it separately because it has been separated from the West
Bank de facto and receives different treatment under the Israeli occupation.
Approximately 300,000 Israelis currently live in settlements in East Jerusalem.xxxv
-West Bank: The West Bank, which is comprised of territory west of the Jordan
River and encompassed by the Green Line as established in 1949, was conquered by
Israel in the 1967 War. Part of the West Bank has been annexed by Israel as its own
land; the Interim Agreements at 1993 Oslo conference divided the West Bank into three
areas, A, B, and C. This division was originally intended to last only five years or less,
until a Palestinian Authority could take control of the whole West Bank.xxxvi In fact, the
division has become more entrenched.
-Areas A and B consist of a number of non-contiguous pieces of land scattered
throughout the West Bank and containing major Palestinian cities such as Ramallah,
Jericho, and Hebron, as well as numerous villages. The “Interim Agreements” from Oslo
granted control of civil and security functions in Area A to the Palestinian Authority. In
Area B, the Palestinian Authority was to control civil functions and to share the security
functions with the Government of Israel. Area A consists of approximately 18% of the
total land within the West Bank (excluding East Jerusalem), and Area B consists of
another 22%, much of it rural. There are no Israeli settlements in Areas A or B. Israeli
citizens are forbidden from travelling in Area A, and it is very difficult for Palestinians to
travel from one section of Area A to another. Despite the nominal functions of the
Palestinian Authority in Areas A and B, the Israeli Government decides and often
changes its decision about how much authority the Palestinians actually have. The Israeli
Army comes in to Areas A and B when it decides to arrest people or destroy wells and
other infrastructure.
-Area C is about 60 percent of the West Bank and is totally controlled by Israel.
The Oslo Accord intended for Area C to be gradually transferred to Palestinian control.
It is a contiguous area and now includes some roads and infrastructure accessible only to
Jewish Israeli citizens. Today, more than 350,000 Jewish settlers live in about 250
settlements and outposts in Area C, and these communities continue to grow. Maps from
the Israeli Ministry of Tourism show no distinction or line between Area C and the
internationally recognized of Israel. xxxvii
-Gaza: The Gaza Strip, situated along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea just
north of Egypt, is roughly five miles wide and twenty-five miles long and it is separated
from the West Bank by the territory of Israel. It was occupied by Israel in 1967,
following which more than a dozen Jewish settlements were established. In 2005 the
Israeli government unilaterally closed these settlements and evacuated its troops. Israel
has continued to make frequent military incursions into Gaza for various reasons.xxxviii
Israel also controls Gaza’s airspace, electromagnetic sphere, population registry,
movement to the West Bank as well as all movement of persons and import/exports for

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