Report: Israel conceals illegal West Bank building

[DogPoundPup]

JERUSALEM — Israel’s Defense Ministry has concealed information showing widespread illegal construction in West Bank settlements, fearing the data could hurt the country’s international relations, an Israeli newspaper reported Wednesday.

The Haaretz daily came out with its report ahead of the arrival by the new U.S. Mideast envoy, George Mitchell, who has criticized Israel’s West Bank settlements in the past.

excerpt~
The report cited secret Defense Ministry data obtained by the newspaper. The report said that Defense Minister Ehud Barak has blocked publication of the data, fearing it would damage Israel’s diplomatic and security relations.

The Defense Ministry had no comment on the report. Haaretz said it would publish a longer story on the ministry report on Friday.

more: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/international/middle_east/view/2009_01_28_Report:_Israel_conceals_illegal_West_Bank_building/

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. Good for Israel's free press. You won't see this story in the states

not with our corporate media.

[bunnies]

4. This is an AP story on the Boston Herald website.

:rofl: Are you confused?

[oberliner]

7. The report was from Ha'aretz, an Israeli newspaper

This AP story is reporting on the Ha'aretz report.

It was the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz that broke this story.

[bemildred]

2. Well, that's a stunner. nt

[aquart]

3. I'm shocked. Shocked.

Especially considering they are dealing with such honest and above board fellas as Hamas and Fatah. Have those opposition roundups finished? How many did they bag? Anyone keeping count?

[DogPoundPup]

6. "Israel conceals" and you are shocked? lol

[bunnies]

5. Wow. Israel really sucks at getting away with shit.

I'm beginning to think these guys are actually worse than Bush.

[Idealism]

8. It isn't at what Israel hides, its what they blatantly parade around

The West Bank has had Martial Law declared in the for years, over 1500 Military orders dictate how Palestinians must live, coupled with 600 checkpoints they must pass through just to take a shit. If you complain about any of it, they throw you in jail. Imprisoning children as young as 12 years old for tossing a rock, up to 20 years for this offense, often without a trial and evidence not needed in a military tribunal during a 'time of emergency.' Illegal settlements have flourished since the 05 'Disengagement plan' from Gaza, the settler population has doubled since Sharron pulled out from Gaza to recolonize Palestinian land in the West Bank. Holding hundreds of Palestinians in administrative detention, without trial, without due process, indefinitely. Sounds like "enemy combatants" at Guantanemo, except they hold more people that we have.

Don't fear what Israel hides too much, when the things that are out in the open are that unjust.

[Shaktimaan]

9. you know, most of that stuff you wrote is not really true.

some of them have elements of truth in there, but are then really grossly exaggerated.

the settler population has doubled since 2005?
there's 600 checkpoints in the WB?
if you complain they throw you in jail?
Hundreds of Palestinians are being held in Admin. detention indefinitely?

come on.

[Alamuti Lotus]

10. You're correct, that '600 checkpoints' figure is completely false

It's more like 700 now. They've added a few.

WB settler population in 2005-130,000
WB settler population in 2008-285,000

'hundreds' held in detention indefinitely is also completely false; more like thousands, especially with the new additions kidnapped by occupation forces in the latest Gaza assault.

Thank you for exposing the previous posters' shameful lies. (yes, that is sarcasm)

[Douglas Carpenter]

13. here is the official United Nations OCHA Closure Map for the West Bank As of September 2008

http://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/satelliteimages/123002756959.htm

Here is the link a very detailed version of the same map (3.47 Mb PDF File) along with numerous other detailed maps revealing the on-the-ground reality in the Occupied Palestinian Territories:

http://www.ochaopt.org/?module=displaysection§ion_id=106&format=html&edition_id=255732


'

[Idealism]

11. Prove me wrong

The settler population doubled since Taba, although I do believe it was since 2005 the last report I saw from it (Jimmy Carter wrote a piece backing the figures up that appeared in HuffPo and Commondreams iirc)

600 Checkpoints around the WB is straight from B'Tselem
They have jailed 700 dissenters just for peaceful protests of the Gaza operation, many newspapers pointed this out
And B'Tselem says 534 were being held in that manner

[Shaktimaan]

12. Not since 2005, that's absurd.

The settler population grew at 3 times the rate of the rest of Israel for the past 13 years or so. The population has doubled since 1995 or so, (which is bad enough, don't you think?) The West Bank settler population in 2004 was around 235,000, not 130,000, you can look this up anywhere. The fact that you think that the WB settler population could increase like that says, to me, that you lack a real understanding of the situation there. I mean, think about it... where could all of those people have possibly lived? There hasn't exactly been any massive expansions of the WB settlements over the past 3 years, has there? I read this, and am led to think that you just assume that massive tracts of land are regularly being taken away from Palestinians and given to a settler population that's increasing at a rate only slightly less rapid than The Blob's.

Jimmy Carter's statistics are notoriously unreliable. I often catch him making mistakes on basic stuff, and I'm far from any kind of expert on any of this. A cottage industry has sprung up around correcting the facts in his public statements.

There are around 100 checkpoints in the WB. There are a few hundred other roadblocks and obstacles. But only around 100 checkpoints. This isn't about splitting hairs either, the problem with confusing a manned Israeli checkpoint for a blocked road is that it indicates a far greater matrix of military control over the area than actually exists. Accuracy is important.

They didn't jail people for peaceful protest. They jailed people for things like throwing rocks. Israel holds around as many protests a year as France does. It's part of the national culture. People are not thrown in jail there for expressing their opinions, no matter how unpopular they might be. And arresting people during a violent protests is a very different thing than "If you complain about any of it, they throw you in jail" which is what you claimed. And at this point, only around 200 of those protesters are actually still being held.

534 people are being held in AD, sure. But AD prisoners are not held indefinitely, (which you accused Israel of) like Gitmo's enemy combatants. At any given point in time the number of prisoners in AD can vary widely... in 2000/2001 there were only a handful. More importantly, there isn't really anything wrong with holding people in AD as long as the rules are followed. After all, it is expressly sanctioned by the Geneva Conventions.

Now, can you show me when Israel has ever imprisoned a 12 year old for throwing a rock?
Or when anyone was sentenced to 20 years for throwing a rock?
Or when anyone has ever been sentenced to any punishment, without a trial?

Lastly, you do realize that throwing rocks at people is a crime, right? You also know why, right?