June 5th marks the 31st anniversary of the occupation by Israel of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights. Imagine – 31 long years! Despite advances made by the Oslo Accords, Israel was, is, and remains an occupying power:
What Does Occupation Mean In Practice?
The Territories
· Israel continues to be in sole control of 73% of the West Bank and 44% of the Gaza Strip. This is true even though Jewish settlers comprise only 7% of the population of the territories.
· Israel continues to confiscate thousands of acres from the Palestinians in order to expand settlements and build bypass roads to them. Har Homa is only one such example. Not only is this a violation of international law, but creating “facts on the ground” pre-empts any good faith negotiation with the Palestinians in the final status talks.
Closure [=sealing in the occupied territories]
· Since March 1993, closure has never fully been lifted, although there are periods during which it is eased. Closure plays havoc with the Palestinian economy, which is dependent upon Palestinian workers entering Israel.
· Approximately 29% of the Palestinian labor force in the territories is unemployed. During closure, unemployment soars to 50% or more in the West Bank and an astounding 70% in Gaza.
· Thousands of Palestinian students cannot attend university because of Israel’s failure to comply with the Oslo agreement to provide passage between the West Bank and Gaza.
Other Occupational Hazards
· House demolitions continue to take place in the territories, sometimes as a punitive measure against the families of suspected terrorists, sometimes to pressure the inhabitants to emigrate, and sometimes to prevent Palestinian economic development (especially in East Jerusalem). Just yesterday (June 2), demolitions were carried out against 6 more Palestinian homes, creating more homeless families and breeding more anti-Israel sentiment.
· The Oslo Agreements give Israel far-reaching control over the autonomous areas of the Palestinian Authority – control over access by land, sea and air; veto power over bills in the Palestinian Legislative Assembly; and the right to enter any part of the autonomy at will for what Israel deems to be its security needs.
Occupation is wrong; it is also counterproductive. Peace will come only when Israel recognizes the rights of the Palestinian people to their own sovereign state, and both sides sign an agreement based on justice and mutual respect.
What Israelis Can Do:
Many peace organizations are voicing their protest this Friday and Saturday. If you live in Israel, join us:
q Joint Vigil in Jerusalem – Bat Shalom, Women in Black, and Mothers and Women for Peace. Men are invited, as every year, to mark the anniversary of the 1967 occupation.
q Conscientious Objection to Service in the Territories – Yesh Gvul visit to the West Bank to express solidarity with Palestinians and discuss with Israeli soldiers the alternatives to service in the territories.
q Lebanon – another occupied territory! Protest together with the Movement for Leaving Lebanon and the Four Mothers Movement in front of the Tel-Aviv Museum.
q A “Birthday Party for Israel’s Wars” at the Yadayim Art Gallery in Tel-Aviv. Participants are invited to “bring a gift for the State of Israel”, which will be put on exhibit (June 6-27). What gift would you give a state that has been at war for 50 years?
What Non-Israelis and Israelis Can Do:
Write an e-mail or fax to the politicians (Israeli and other). Do not write a long or eloquent letter. Even one sentence is enough, unless you want to write more. Just make sure that the subject line clearly and succinctly states your opinion. That is often all they read.
What to say?
q Protest Israel’s continued occupation.
q Protest Israeli home demolitions of Arab homes.
q Demand that Israel return occupied territories.
q Demand an end to U.S. support for Netanyahu.
q What else? Say what is in your heart.