Under the Radar, Quiet and Persistent Population Transfer Is Underway in the West Bank
https://x.com/MaryKostakidis/status/1989048548755927091
Haaretz - Amira Hass
Under the Radar, Quiet and Persistent Population Transfer Is Underway in the West Bank
'While Israeli settlers drive Palestinians from their land through violence, another, quieter expulsion continues through bureaucracy and law'
'As the strike force of Yesha-stan (combining Yesha, the official acronym for Judea, Samaria and Gaza, with the state-like suffix -stan) devotedly carries out its missions in the West Bank, expelling as many Palestinians as possible from their lands, another, quieter expulsion is taking place away from the headlines. Its violence is not carried out with iron bars or live ammunition, but with orders and regulations crafted by nameless, well-dressed legal experts, signed by army generals, and approved by Israel's High Court of Justice.'
'When the true experts on Israeli policy – the Palestinians, the left, and human rights organizations – warned in the early 2000s that the separation barrier's route was designed to seize more fertile land, state officials rolled their eyes and scoffed: "Us? Wanting as much land as possible with as few Palestinians as possible? Come on. Where did you get that idea? Security is our only concern."'
'Recently, the residents of three villages northwest of Jerusalem – Beit Iksa, Nabi Samwil and Khalaila – were added to this trapped population. For them, this is not a dramatic change hardly matters: they have long been completely cut off from their relatives, friends and workplaces. For 20 years they have faced severe restrictions on movement and construction. Once, a lively area connected these villages to each other and to their fields and orchards. Now, it has been "cleansed" of Palestinians and effectively annexed to Israel. Today, however, residents of these three villages must also obtain Israeli permits simply to live in their own homes. Several hundred have not received such permits; several dozen have been told they never will. Israeli bureaucrats, dutifully following orders, will decide whose permits to revoke in the future, free to invent new "residential conditions" as needed.'
posted by Satish Sharma at
11:30
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