The Applied Research Institute "ARIJ" revealed in an expanded report that the occupation authorities had distributed military orders in July and April targeting an area of ​​6,011 dunums, and first included expanding the areas of influence of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank Which had the largest share of the orders at 2098 dunums, i.e. 35% of the total area of ​​the lands targeted by the issued orders.
Since 1991, the so-called Israeli "Civil Administration" has issued structural plans for Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which include areas for future expansion of existing settlements, taking into account the allocation of additional areas for the establishment of new settlements.
The total area of ​​the outline plans issued at that time was 486,000 dunams, which is seven times the area of ​​the 69,000 dunams of Israeli settlements that existed until 1991.
After the signing of the first and second Oslo agreements in the years 1993 and 1995 respectively and the classification of the Palestinian lands into areas A, B, and C, the occupation authorities ignored the issuance of structural plans for Palestinian communities in areas classified "C" to meet their urban needs and keep pace with the population increase, as it is the authority authorized to conduct administrative affairs. And security.
This systematic ignorance put the Palestinian communities at risk of demolition because of their inability to issue the necessary licenses that were avoided by demolition and displacement due to the occupation authorities´ imposition of long, complex and costly procedures on the Palestinians applying for them, except for the rejection of most of the submitted applications claiming that the plans did not meet the conditions necessary for construction.
It is worth noting that the area of ​​influence of the settlements exceeds that of the Israeli outline plans issued in the year 1991 of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
This increase came through Israeli military orders that grant Israeli settlement councils in the West Bank control over new Palestinian lands in the West Bank, in addition to those they occupy and those that come under the framework of Israeli master plans to become within the boundaries of future Israeli settlements, until the area that comes within areas The influence of settlements reached 541,516 dunums by the end of 2019, an increase of 55,379 dunums over the area of ​​Israeli master plans issued in 1991.
The Israeli military orders also included the expansion of a number of settlement outposts in the West Bank by 1,860 dunums, or 31% of the total land area targeted by the orders, in addition to expropriating for public benefit purposes by 1285 dunums, or 21% of the target land area, in addition to changing Classifying lands from forests to residential areas with the aim of building and expanding settlements by 662 dunums, as well as constructing new Israeli bypass roads in the West Bank, including Hawara Bypass Street and Bypass Street No. 60 - Southern Section (Al-Aroub District and Husan Section).
Israeli racial laws
The ARIJ Institute report indicated that Israel has relied in the vast majority of orders issued on several racist laws to facilitate confiscation operations, including: First: “An Order Concerning the Administration of Regional Councils (Judea and Samaria) (No. 783) [3], 5739-1979” according to which Five Jewish regional councils were announced, including the occupied West Bank (the existing Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank), and secondly: “An Ordinance Concerning Local Councils Administration (Judea and Samaria) (No. 892), 5741-1981” [4] by virtue of which Local councils in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. " Third: “Acquisition by declaring lands for public uses by Military Order No. 321 of 1969,” which authorizes the Israeli military authority to confiscate private lands for public uses (the meaning of public uses has not been determined) without providing compensation to the affected party.
The Israeli army used the above law mainly to build a road network for the army inside the occupied Palestinian territories, as well as the case for Israeli settlers, for whom the Israeli army provided alternative roads away from Palestinian residential communities in the occupied territories.
Fourth: “The Israeli Military Order No. 1539 of 2003, an order regarding unauthorized buildings (temporary legislation) (Judea and Samaria) (No. 1539) - 2003”, as this military order was originally intended to evacuate Israeli settlers from illegal outposts. (According to the Israeli definition) throughout the occupied West Bank, but the Israeli occupation state almost did not use this order for this purpose except in very few cases. Rather, it ridiculed it against Palestinian buildings and facilities that Israel considers "unlicensed buildings" as they were constructed in Area C This order allows the Israeli military commander to declare an area in the West Bank a "contiguous zone," and to order the evacuation of all property in it. And based on this order, numerous displacement orders were issued to Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank.
Fifth: “Israeli Military Order No. 363 of 1969, which authorizes the so-called“ Israeli Civil Administration ”to declare any area in the occupied West Bank as a“ nature reserve ”or“ natural areas ”according to orders it issues. Usually strict restrictions are imposed on construction and land use. Israel has used this method to confiscate the lands on which settlements will be built later, and since its occupation of the Palestinian lands in 1967, Israel has used this method to confiscate the lands on which settlements are to be built later.Moreover, no compensation for damages has been determined, although the nature reserves are supposed to protect The environment, but in reality it is considered by the Israeli authorities to be a central part of the land grab program, on which the settlements are subsequently built.
Sixth: “Israeli Military Order No. 373 of 1970 which gives authority to the Israeli military commander in the occupied West Bank to declare certain areas public parks (as in the Israeli Military Order No. 363) regarding the maintenance of natural reserves. This order authorizes the Israeli military commander and the so-called The Israeli Civil Administration declared an area in the West Bank as a nature reserve according to an order issued in that area, and Israel ridiculed this Israeli military order to confiscate thousands of dunams of Palestinian lands by announcing natural reserves and natural parks under the pretext of “preserving natural areas.” This measure was aimed at preventing the Palestinians from using these lands, which were transformed during the years of the Israeli occupation into Israeli settlement areas.
All decisions are poured into the same mill
Areej concluded his report by noting that since its occupation of the Palestinian lands in 1967, Israel has used a complex legal and bureaucratic mechanism that bypasses normal justice procedures to control a large part of the Palestinian territories in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as these lands later became part of the settlements and outposts. Military bases, and devoting other areas to expanding these settlements in the future.
The main tool used by Israel to control the Palestinian lands was the racist military orders to confiscate lands, some for military purposes, others declaring lands absentee property, and another for confiscating lands to meet the needs of the public, declaring others reserves and natural parks, and other racist orders, each of which was based on foundations. Different legal.
The report stated that the Israeli occupation state is systematically seeking to impose new facts on the ground and expand its settlements and expansion projects in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, striking at the expense of the Palestinian people´s right to self-determination and to live freely on their land.
The report emphasized that what the Israeli occupation state is doing is nothing but a translation of the Israeli annexation plan on the ground and the application of Israel´s desire to infiltrate deeply, control the strategic and vital areas in the occupied West Bank, and tighten its grip on its resources and goods and ultimately annex them in order to ensure its continuity as an occupying state. Given the area of ​​land that it has come to control, and is still seeking to control more of it through racial laws.
