Jewish settlements acquire front line status, Peace Now protests
Israel, Politics, 2/9/1998

Israel recently decided to consider a number of Jewish settlements in the West Bank "confrontation towns" and as such will allocate at least US $80 million per year in tax exemptions and preferential status. Israeli opposition groups argued that the decision will be implemented at the expense of development towns inside Israel itself, where the unemployment rate is high.

According to the plan, dozens of Jewish settlements in the West Bank are expected to be included in the new arrangement, which will simultaneously exclude some settlements where security risk is believed to be at a minimum. The new arrangement followed a number of Israeli cabinet sessions in which Israel's maps of national and security interests were discussed and approved to serve as the main guidelines for Israel's negotiations on the final status of the Palestinian territories with the Palestine government.

In those discussions, Israel drew the lines to which its troops would be ready to withdraw in the event a final status agreement is reached with Palestine. All Jewish settlements along those lines will become confrontation towns, acquiring the same status as Israeli towns along the borders with Lebanon.

A town like Maalot, for instance, which is very close to the borders with Lebanon will in the future no longer be considered a confrontation settlement as much as a Jewish settlement like Beit El near Ramallah. The new plan of the Israeli government will grant Maalot and many other towns along the border grade B in the confrontation criteria while the settlement of Beit El becomes of grade A in the same criteria. Maalot mayor Shlomo Buchbott, a member of the opposition Labor Party, said the Netanyahu government is moving settlements affiliated with the Likud into grade A while those affiliated with the opposition are granted a second grade status, with all that involves in terms of financial aid.

Palestinian observers in Ramallah said the move, which does not have a direct impact on today's already stalled peace process, will eventually influence the Israeli stand in any future talks on final status. "It is quite evident that Israel is going ahead with the plan of keeping for itself half of the West Bank, contrary to the agreed upon Oslo Accords" said one observer. The Oslo Accords state that the Israeli army should pull out to 'specified military installations' and Jewish settlements in the interim agreement while the status of those settlements and military installations to be decided in the final status negotiations.

Israeli opposition groups, meanwhile, expressed concern over the plan and said it would not only backfire on the peace process but will increase the hardships of development towns inside Israel itself. In a letter to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Peace Now movement said the government "is giving a preferential treatment to its supporters while ignoring the helpless." It termed stupid the decision to consider Jewish settlements in the West Bank as sites of confrontation and said should the killing ratio of civilians be adopted, then Jerusalem would be the city most eligible to be considered a confrontation city.

The reference to Jerusalem was made to underline Peace Now's political stand which supports the establishment of a Palestinian state and the division of Jerusalem with East Jerusalem being somehow under Palestinian rule.

Previous Stories:
  Israeli defense minister to visit   (1/29/1998)
  Israel refuses an active European role in ME peace   (1/29/1998)
  Intelligence chief in Israel warns of Hamas attacks   (1/28/1998)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search