Israel Moves to
Consolidate Settlements in the West Bank
Israeli government officials
confirmed August 25 that Israel
has issued confiscation orders for the seizure of Palestinian-owned lands in
the West Bank.The land, held by some families for generations, is located around the
largest Jewish settlement in the West Bank, MaalaAdumim.Its seizure
will enable the settlers to travel directly to East Jerusalem, while sealing
off the route to any Palestinians in the area.
This move is in addition to the
continued expansion of Israel’s
separation wall, which is also cutting off the 2.4 million Palestinians living
in the West Bank from East Jerusalem and from
each other.Entire communities and
families have been separated by the wall, the construction of which the
International Court of Justice ruled last year was illegal.
Palestinian Prime Minister
Ahmed Queri condemned the most recent confiscation,
describing it as “dark and dangerous.”“With these actions there will be no room for a viable Palestinian state
and no hope for peace,” he told reporters. Other Palestinian commentators have noted
that the land confiscation was a calculated attempt on the part of the Sharon government to
appease the right-wing settler movement after the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.The land seizure is intended to reassure the
settlers that Israel
withdrew from Gaza only to consolidate its
occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.