CORRECTS - Imposing Israeli law on occupied West Bank systematic deportation: Palestinian experts

CORRECTS QUOTED STATEMENT OF HEAD OF PALESTINIAN NATIONAL INITIATIVE

By Awad Rjoob and Ali Semerci

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - Palestinian experts described Israel’s approval of a plan to apply Israeli law to constructions in the southern part of the occupied West Bank as a continuation of a policy of deportation of Palestinians.

Israeli state television reported on June 28 that the Security Cabinet, at the request of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, approved the legalization of five illegal settlements in Area B of the occupied West Bank, inhabited by Israelis who usurped Palestinian land.

Describing it as "the most dangerous challenge facing the Palestinian people since the Nakba," Mustafa Barghouti, the head of the Palestinian National Initiative (PNI), said in a post on X that the decision aims to completely seize the civilian authority of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Area B of the West Bank.

Smotrich's plan includes stripping the PA of executive powers in the southern West Bank and applying Israeli law in Area B, which is under Palestinian civil and administrative control.

- Depriving the Palestinian Authority of its powers

"The political meaning of applying Israeli laws in Area B is to undo the powers of the Palestinian Authority and weaken it by effectively canceling the administrative divisions in the Oslo Accords between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel," political analyst Ashraf Bedr told Anadolu.

Bedr said the extremist Israeli government is trying to eliminate all hopes of establishing a Palestinian presence, which could be seen by Israel as a threat to the Zionist project, because it could turn into a demand for independence, a national identity or the realization of a national self.

He said the national religious current in Israel desires to annex Area C under the plan announced in 2014 and to give its residents, numbering 50,000 according to Israeli estimates and 250,000 according to Palestinian estimates, a "blue Israeli identity."

When Israel announced its annexation of Jerusalem in 1980, it did not grant Israeli citizenship to its Palestinian residents, but instead gave them blue-colored Israeli IDs that served as permanent residency permits.

Regarding Area A, Bedr said Israel is not interested in the territory, but rather in getting rid of its residents from governing any entity, be it local, tribal or municipal bodies.

Although not included in Smotrich’s draft plan, Bedr said the area is not safe, stressing that Palestinians accused of organizing attacks against Israel continue to have their homes demolished in the area.

- Hundreds of houses under demolition threat

Hani Abu Siba, an expert in Israeli affairs, said: "The Palestinian Authority cannot issue building permits in Area C, and if it does, they have no value. Today, the issue has expanded to Area B."

He said the purpose of applying the law to archaeological sites is to demolish any Palestinian building near the sites, be it old buildings, tombs or Islamic monuments.

Abu Siba said Israeli archaeological organizations classified the sites and added them as annexes to the Oslo Accords, adding that hundreds of houses are expected to be demolished under Smotrich's plan.

He warned that the current government, as part of its plan to displace West Bank residents, will demolish any building that affects archaeological sites, even if it is licensed by the PA.

Hassan Bireyjiyeh, director of the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) Commission Against the Separation Wall and Settlements, cited the targeting of buildings built on an area estimated to be hundreds of acres, part of which is located in Bethlehem and is classified as a natural reserve.

Bireyjiyeh said due to the scarcity of land, the area is the scene of intensive construction activities by Palestinians from Jerusalem and Bethlehem, noting the fears of demolition in the area, where hundreds of people currently live and dozens of houses are located.

- 194 demolitions in West Bank in 5 months

The monthly reports of the PLO-affiliated Commission Against the Separation Wall and Settlements revealed that the Israeli army carried out 194 demolitions, mostly residential buildings, in the West Bank in the first five months of 2024, affecting 254 Palestinian facilities.

The commission's report published in 2023 said the Israeli army demolished 659 Palestinian facilities, including nearly 300 residential buildings, while 25 Palestinian communities, including 266 families with 1,517 people, were forced to flee because of the Israeli army and illegal settler attacks.

As part of the "Second Oslo Accords" signed between Palestine and Israel in 1995, the occupied West Bank was divided into Areas A, B and C.

The administrative and security management of Area A, which covers 18% of the West Bank, was transferred to Palestine, the administrative management of Area B, which covers 21%, was transferred to Palestine and its security to Israel, while the administrative and security management of Area C, which covers 61% was left to Israel.

- Illegal settlements also illegal under Israeli law

Illegal settlements are usually built on privately owned Palestinian agricultural land, using prefabricated structures such as caravans and containers.

Unlike the internationally illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the shanty settlements are not legal under Israeli law.

Israelis in the shanty settlements harass Palestinians and prevent them from accessing agricultural land, while the Israeli army protects Israelis in the settlements.

The Israeli military has carried out regular raids in the West Bank in recent years which escalated with the beginning of the most current onslaught on Gaza since Oct. 7. Palestinians have also been violently attacked by illegal Israeli settlers.

At least 565 Palestinians, including 136 children, have since been killed and 5,351 injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel in Istanbul