July 22, 2011

Every time an article discusses annexation, I will add it at the bottom of this post. Please comment on all issues raised here. Ted Belman

Elyakim Haetzni replies to IMRA on annexation of Judea and Samaria
Dr. Aaron Lerner 17 July 2011

Elyakim Haetzni is an Israeli lawyer, activist and former politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Tehiya from 1990 until 1992

Dear Elyakim Haetzni,

I see that you are participating in the upcoming conference “Regaining the initiative – Applying Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria”

As you can see from the article below, PA PM Salam Fayyad accepts this initiative – as long as those residing in Judea and Samaria can become Israeli citizens with the right to vote.

I was hoping that you could explain in short note that I could share with IMRA readers if your support for annexation of Judea and Samaria is:

(1) Limited to annexation of areas where there are Jewish communities.

(2) If annexation covers the entire area of Judea and Samaria, do you support granting Israeli citizenship – including the right to vote – to those residing in the annexed areas.

Thanks.

Best regards,
Aaron

Fayyad to Israel: Give us freedom or right to vote
Published Friday 24/06/2011 (updated) 25/06/2011

RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad told protesters in Bil’in on Friday that Israel should either give Palestinians freedom or the right to vote

Dear Aaron,

First of all, I would wait to see, whether Ramallah goes beyond a mere declaration by the UN. For instance -changing their letterhead to “State of P.”, solemnly declaring to have become a State, signing a foreign treaty, etc.

Only when the provocation becomes a flagrant breach, which perforce terminates Oslo, Israel could and should annex Area C’ which is 60% of the whole area. The rest would legally revert into the jurisdiction of the Military Government, which by Oslo was withdrawn, not dismantled.

The M. G. would treat Ramallah as the Autonomy which it essentially is, but if Ramallah would resort to force, or otherwise create unbearable situations for us (like inviting in a foreign army) then – again reacting to clear provocation – we should eliminate Ramallah in one swift military blow and employ the M.G. to build a new autonomy from scratch. WE should also make efforts to involve Jordan in some sort of “frisch – Misch”.

All the Best

Elyakim

IMRA – Annexation – No Free Lunch
Dr. Aaron Lerner
IMRA Weekly Commentary 21 July ’11

Given the choice between the existential threat that a sovereign Palestinian state constitutes and the challenges the Jewish state will no doubt face should it annex Judea and Samaria, annexation is most definitely the preferable option.

Annexation is anything but a theoretical option.

The Palestinian leadership itself (including PA PM Fayyad) is on record accepting Israeli annexation as a substitute for a Palestinian state. Interestingly, he mentions the annexation option without even requiring Israel to throw in the right of return of refugees into the package.

Annexation is hardly a free lunch for Israel.

Because the only way that Israel can pull it off is if the Arabs now residing in Judea and Samaria are offered the opportunity to take Israeli citizenship and vote in Israel’s elections – as was the case for the residents of the Golan and eastern Jerusalem.

Sure, all kinds of ideas have been thrown around by some annexation proponents for ways to either prevent these Arabs from getting citizenship or voting schemes to limit their say via gerrymandering.

But all these schemes have the same basic problem: the only way the international community will accept this move is if there is a simple and transparent arrangement for the annexed Arabs to become Israeli citizens.

Anything short of that would guarantee Israel a nightmare of international condemnation, pressure and sanctions.

The morning after?

The only thing preventing an Arab from Nablus from moving to Haifa would be real estate prices.

UNWRA would close down operations in Judea and Samaria since the “refugees” would no longer be “refugees”.

Israel would face a tremendous budget challenge as it struggles to put together a plan to bring municipal and other services as well as infrastructure in Judea and Samaria up to national levels.

On the flip side, the flood of worker from Judea and Samaria would help make it possible to slash back on foreign workers in the country.

Again, annexation is not a free lunch.

But given the choice between living with annexation and the existential threat of a sovereign Palestinian state I choose life.

Israel’s only two options
By Caroline B. Glick, (July 19/11)

Creeping annexation?
Israel Matzav, July 21

Israel’s Right is attempting to apply Israeli law to Judea and Samaria law by law, in what is ultimately an attempt to bring about their annexation, according to MK Uri Ariel (National Union). In the first such instance, a law passed a preliminary reading in the Knesset on Wednesday night which would allow museums located in Judea and Samaria to apply for government funding for the first time. The vote wasn’t even close: 51-9 in favor.

The move comes amid failed attempts by right-wing politicians to generate legislative and governmental support to fully annex Judea and Samaria, which is under military rule. As such, Israeli law does not fully apply there.

In the absence of such support, Ariel told The Jerusalem Post that he had come to believe that it could be better to advance the matter in small stages.

To initiate the process, he asked the Knesset on Wednesday to approve a preliminary bill that would allow museums in the settlements to apply for government funding.

It passed on a preliminary reading, by 51 to 9 votes. To become law, the bill must now go through a number of legislative hoops, including a vote by the Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee. It must also pass three readings in the Knesset plenum.

During a brief speech before the Knesset, Ariel said, “I’m starting a project to examine legislations that do not apply to Israeli residents in Judea and Samaria.”

Every week, he said a legislator would propose an amendment to existing laws, so that one by one, they would be applicable in Judea and Samaria.

In this way, he said, he hoped to end the “discrimination” against the residents of Judea and Samaria. He later told the Post that he viewed his initiative as a “step toward annexing Judea and Samaria.”

So will the Obama administration protest every time one of these bills passes a reading in the Knesset? They’ll have to employ someone full time just to keep track of them. Heh.

The picture at the top is the entrance of to the museum at Gush Etzion (it looks like an artist’s rendition), which is much bigger and nicer than I remember it.
***********

IDF Civil Administration pushing for land takeover in West Bank Edit Link

Inclusion of Jordan Valley, northern Dead Sea and area surrounding Ariel in ‘settlement blocs’ whose takeover the administration is advancing, would prevent establishment of Palestinian state with territorial contiguity.
By Akiva Eldar, Haaretz

The IDF Civil Administration is taking steps to increase state-ownership of West Bank lands, an internal military document reveals. The policy enables increased construction not only around settlement blocs like Ariel, Ma’aleh Adumim and Gush Etzion, but also in strategic areas like the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea.

.. signed a procedure stipulating that the custodian of government property is authorized to take possession of lands whose ownership is undefined.

The first document, setting the civil administration’s priorities in advancing Israeli take over of West Bank lands, says the construction would take place on state-owned land.

The inclusion of the Jordan Valley, northern Dead Sea and area surrounding Ariel in the “settlement blocs” whose takeover the administration is advancing, would prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state with territorial contiguity. In addition, the scope of land in question thwarts the possibility of exchanging areas in a peace settlement, according to the formula presented by U.S. President Barack Obama on May 19.

This is because on the western side of the Green Line there is not enough open land to compensate the Palestinians for such an extensive annexation, according to examinations carried out during previous talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

[..] Dror Etkes, a left-wing activist monitoring construction in the settlements, has found that the administration’s team included at least 26 outposts in territories it defines as state lands. This means the state has started a process to legitimize these outposts.

Official information the administration gave Etkes, under the Freedom of Information Law, reveals that almost half of the Blue Line team’s work has been carried out in areas Israel defines as “settlement blocs.” Altogether the team has examined in 12 years’ work 195,000 dunams, 92,000 of them west of the approved separation fence line, and 103,000 dunams east of it.

Almost 13,000 dunams of the examined lands are located in the Dead Sea and Jordan Valley region.