Israel Quietly Legalizes Pirate Outposts in the West Bank

[Purveyor]

Unauthorized settlements dot hilltops in the West Bank, and
anti-settlement groups and Palestinians say retroactively
legalizing them is a methodical effort to change the region’s map.

By ISABEL KERSHNERAUG. 30, 2016

MITZPE DANNY, West Bank — One night in the fall of 1998, a self-professed “outpost entrepreneur” brought three trailers to a rugged hilltop in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and established his first pirate settlement.

Dozens of youthful supporters came to cheer on the entrepreneur, Shimon Riklin, whose wife, newborn and toddler joined him a few days later. A second family also moved in. To their initial surprise, nobody from the military or government came to remove them. “After six months,” Mr. Riklin said in a recent interview, “I understood it was a done deal.”

They named their outpost Mitzpe Danny, after a British immigrant stabbed to death by a Palestinian at the settlement across the highway, and went on over the next few months to help establish Mitzpe Hagit and then Neve Erez a short drive away. “I jumped from hill to hill,” Mr. Riklin said.

Today, more than 40 Orthodox Jewish families live in Mitzpe Danny, one of a string of outposts on a strategic ridge with breathtaking views southwest to Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives and east all the way to Jordan. They are part of an expansive network of about 100 outposts established mostly over the past two decades without government authorization.

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/31/world/middleeast/israel-west-bank-outposts-mitzpe-danny.html?&moduleDetail=section-news-0&action=click&contentCollection=Middle%20East%AEion=Footer&module=MoreInSection&version=WhatsNext&contentID=WhatsNext&pgtype=article&_r=1

[TubbersUK]

1. K & R n/t

[Little Tich]

3. US ‘deeply concerned’ by Israeli settlement decision

Source: Times of Israel

Continued construction undermines two-state solution, says White House after Jerusalem announces 466 new homes

WASHINGTON, United States — The United States rebuked Israel on Wednesday over what it said was its accelerated building of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank in the face of mounting international concern.

“This significant expansion of the settlement activity poses a serious and growing threat to the viability of a two state solution,” President Barack Obama’s spokesman Josh Earnest said.

“We are particularly troubled by the policy of retroactively approving illegal outposts and unauthorized settlements,” he added, briefing reporters aboard Air Force One en route for China.

The US response came after earlier in the day Israel’s governing body in the West Bank approved the construction of 466 new housing units in a slew of settlements.

Read more: http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-deeply-concerned-by-israeli-settlement-decision/

[Little Tich]

4. This is a great victory for the one-staters.

It's becoming obvious that Israel and its supporters don't want a two-state solution, and there seems to be nobody who is strong enough to challenge them.

The only question is whether the binational state of Israel will award citizenship to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem...

[Little Tich]

6. Surely, there must be some incentive for Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt for taking over

responsibility for the armpit of the Middle-East?

[Little Tich]

8. I'm afraid that a better incentive than that would be needed.

It's much easier to let Israel take care of its own mess - which is what will happen. The occupied territories can't be viable economically without the removal of all the settlements, so a takeover would mean an annual loss of billions of $$$, which seems to be a pretty bad deal to me.

[appal_jack]

9. Be careful what you ask for.

It's much easier to let Israel take care of its own mess

Many superior military powers throughout history who take territory evict the prior residents. Witness the Russians in Ukraine (an informal eviction, admittedly, but non-Russians certainly got to moving over the past few years). Are you really hoping that Israel tells the remaining West Bank Palestinians to start walking toward Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, or Jordan, and don't look back? Because that would be one time-honored way for Israel to "take care of its own mess."


-app

[Shaktimaan]

12. To be fair though,

the blame for the disastrous current state of affairs with the OPT falls more or less equally between Israel and the surrounding Arab states. It is not as though Israel's policies were developed strictly of their own accord, out of a singular hatred of Palestinians.

Personally I see no way for Israel to disengage with the OPT in a real, meaningful way, (beyond merely symbolic gestures), without there being some sort of deep involvement by the surrounding, relatively stable, Arab states like Egypt, possibly Lebanon, and most of all, Jordan. The events leading to the plight facing Palestinians in the OPT falls at least as much to them as Israel, yet they have thus far done very little to accept responsibility for, or do anything to mitigate the damage caused by, their past actions.

This is not just "Israel's mess", just as it is not "the Palestinian's problem." It is a regional issue and addressing it as such is the best chance they have of solving it.

[Little Tich]

14. There's even less incentive for neighboring Arab states to shoulder responsibility for the

Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem than for Israel.

As long as there's a sovereign border that separates them from the mess on the other side of the border, they can just point at the peace treaties and say: - nah, it's not our problem... - just like Israel disavows any responsibility for the Palestinian refugees outside its borders.

I don't think a Palestinian state is even remotely possible - I don't know where, when, how, or even why a Palestinian state. I used to, but Netanyahu has won...

[Shaktimaan]

15. Agreed.

From Jordan's perspective, losing control of the West Bank is just about the best outcome they could have hoped for. Having to negotiate the balance between strict Arab League protocols, finding a best possible outcome for the Palestinians, and their own self-interests was/is all but impossible. They were nearly thrown out of the League for granting Palestinians living in the WB citizenship when it was under their occupation.

Since Arab League policies prioritize hurting Israel over helping Palestinians any Arab state that's truly interested in aiding the Palestinians will find themselves paying a very steep price for trying to negotiate any kind of realistic solution. I recall a minor disturbance in the 70's when Israel sought to replace some of the temporary tent housing in some of the refugee camps with brick structures. The League's issue was that improving the quality of the camps, (especially with long term buildings), removed incentive for Israel to let the refugees return. (The same rationale behind disallowing Arab states from granting citizenship to refugees.) Of course the politically powerful and oil-rich League states forcing these measures were also not ones who were directly dealing with the fallout of their negative impact.

I think there was certainly a time when we were far closer to achieving a real state for the Palestinians. Had Rabin not been murdered; had Arafat been more willing to negotiate at Camp David; had the IDF not begun shooting protesters as a first reaction; had Hamas not begun suicide bombing buses; had Sharon not started incentivizing settlement as an obvious land grab; etc. etc. There was very much a time, not long ago, when it seemed very possible, if not probable.

[geek tragedy]

16. Not whether, when. nt

[Crunchy Frog]

17. Eventually they won't have a choice anymore. n/t

[Israeli]

10. Meanwhile ....

http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Court-orders-demolition-of-17-homes-in-Netiv-Haavot-outpost-466690

Court orders demolition of 17 settler homes in Derech Ha’avot outpost

News of court decision set off a political firestorm among right-wing ministers and parliamentarians.

Its a never ending battle between the forces of right versus wrong Purveyor.....or politically speaking ....Left versus Right .....

News of court decision set off a political firestorm among right-wing ministers and parliamentarians who immediately attacked the court for supporting the latest petition against the 17 settler homes, which was filed by Peace Now in 2014.

“The extreme left has despaired of persuading people to establish a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria. So, it has by-passed public opinion by using the legal system as a tool to enforce the policies of the minority on the majority,” Education Minister and Bayit Yehudi party head Naftali Bennett tweeted.

[Israeli]

11. Outpost residents call on government to bypass Supreme Court

Following the Supreme Court’s decision on Thursday to demolish the outpost Way of the Patriarchs, its residents are calling on the government to go against the court ruling and leave the settlement where it stands; Gush Etzion Regional Council Head Davidi Pearl says PM ‘lacks the spine’ to resist ruling; ‘It’s as if those of us living in the settlements are waiting to hear on whose door the Supreme Court will knock next,’ says one resident. ‘This has to stop.’

Elisha Ben-Kimon
Published: 03.09.16.

Settlers from the Way of the Patriarchs outpost in the Gush Etzion cluster are speaking out against Thursday’s Supreme Court President Miriam Naor's decision to demolish the settlement, built illegally on private Palestinian land. “There is no justification for destroying the neighborhood,” said a resident in regard to the ruling. Immediately following the decision, officials from the right—including Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Bayit Yehudi)—came out against it and vowed to try and stop the demolition.

“We came here for no other reason than to settle the land,” said resident Gil Bar Lev, whose house is among those scheduled to be demolished. “This is a very diverse religious neighborhood. We’re going to fight this, and hopefully the State will be able to rectify matters, perhaps through the solutions that Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked will come up with.”

“We have families and children here,” said another resident, who acknowledged that since the private lands belonging to Palestinians run directly through the illegally built outpost, it will need to be completely torn down. “This is truly a travesty. It’s the sort of thing that can scar you for life.”

Continued @ :
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4849713,00.html

[Shaktimaan]

13. Horrible.

Just unbelievably disgusting.