Introduction

When negotiations took place to implement the Palestinian - Israeli declarations of principles in Gaza and Jericho as a transformation of period to implement the final stage that is the withdrawal of Israel from the Palestinian Occupied Territories in 1967 that points out that negotiations will be based on the United Nations Resolutions 242 and 338.

What draws attention is that the settlement movement moves fast in all areas in the Occupied Territories especially in the areas next to the Green line. This report that is part from three reports: south, north and middle, put light on this problem that aims to eliminate the green line as Rodoss agreement and adds wide areas from the Occupied Territories to Israel and makes changes on borders that disagree with the singing of the Palestinian - Israeli declarations of principles and with the International Law.

Introduction

The Palestinian people are facing a strategic, well planned policies with specific and clear objectives which is started as part of systematic policy by the Likud party since the seventies. Where large areas from Palestinians located on the green line have been subjected to Israeli annexation in an attempt to change the 1967 borders of West Bank. And to accomplish the great Jerusalem.

To understand what the Israeli trying to do along the green line, we will need to study the changes taking place in each and every village along the green line;

1- Al-Walajeh Village:

The present village area is one tenth of its size prior to the six day war of June 1967. The majority of the land was annexed to the Jerusalem municipality. Following the closure of the occupied territories (starting April 1993), the Israeli authorities took the following measures:

• All village residents were given permits to enter Jerusalem, and were informed that they will not be treated different than Jerusalem residents.

• Delays of issuing housing construction permits for the village residents.
• Confiscation of the village land for the purpose of expanding Jerusalem city.
• More land from the village was lost for purpose of paving road number 60 which passes through the land of Machrour and Beit-Jala.

2- Bettir Village:

One hundred and fifty dunums of Bettir land, 2 km along the green line, were annexed by Israel. Contrary to the Rodoos agreement of 1948, which indicates that Israel will control 200 yards from the rail road, a verbal agreement was reached between Bettir residents and Israel according which the residents will be permitted to plant their land in return for allowing the rail road to pass from their land.

3- Housan Village:

This village stretches a distance of about 3 km along the green line. Since 1992 the Israeli authorities prevented residents from cultivating their land which is mainly planted with olive trees and vine.

• Israel has rejected and refused to state a clear and defined village borders.
• In 1988 Hadar Beitar city was built over both sides of the green line. This city stretched 10 km in the West Bank land. The Israeli government considers these settlements "Israeli Land" and not settlements built on lands occupied in 1967.
• Road number 60, which starts from Asyoun to Jerusalem, also passes through the village land in addition to four more streets. Israel continues to control part of the land for future sewage and water networks serving the settlements.
• Settlers removed barred wires which determines the village borders without any attempts by the Israeli army to intervene. In addition, the Palestinian residents are prohibited from placing any physical boundaries for their land.
• Since 1991, the Israeli authorities prepared maps and placed marks in an area called Ein-elhawiyyeh, where there are plenty of historical caves, claming that its an archeological area and off limit. However, Israelis working in the area informed Palestinian residents that working in the area informed Palestinian residents that this area will be used to pump spring water to supply neighboring settlements. Thirteen springs are located in that area with a minimum of 700 m2 daily output without the use of pumping stations. Eighteen dunums owned by resident Jaber Taha Hamamrah located 1 1/2 km away from the green line were confiscated by the natural reserves and was converted to forest area, which was previously planted with wheat and barely.

• Additional village land was confiscated to expand Bittar Elite.
• In September 1992 settlers poisoned the water supply which resulted in seventy poison cases.

4- Wadi Fookin Village:

• The village was demolished in 1948 and residents were forced to leave. The land owners kept trying to cultivate their land. The Israeli expelled them twenty two times. Finally in 1972, the Israeli military governor permitted them to cultivate their homes within fifteen days which they did.
• The village stretches over 3.5 km along the green line. The Israeli authorities confiscated a stretch of land along the green line 159 meters deep into the village land. The confiscated land is used for a road and forest preserve. Work started in this project without any notice to the residents by cutting 70 trees that belong to Manasrah family.
• Five hundred dunums were confiscated to expand Bittar Elite settlement with only 50% occupancy. In addition, to Seur Hasasa settlement which is build inside the green line.
• The original 12000 dunum village consists now of merely 2000 dunum area.

5- Nahhalin Village:

The village extends over 2 km along the green line. The village is surrounded by settlements. Three thousand dunums of Nahhalin land were confiscated by the Israeli authorities not to mention scores of dunums which were barred by settlers and the army south east village near Givoutte settlement, and Shaab el-Sa'ee near Hadar Bittar settlement. Both of these areas are not confiscated yet, but any Palestinian dare to try to cultivate his land in that area is subjected to humiliation, and face trial.

• The sewers from the settlements are disposed off in Nahhalin valley thus polluting drinking water and hazardous to human health and agriculture.
• There are road construction projects that aim at connecting the four settlements surrounding Nahhalin; Danial, Bittar, Givoute and Rosh Zurim. These roads which will be 70 meters wide will use more village land.
• The village mukhtar reported that after the declaration of principles were signed, settlers from Bittar settlement intend to confiscate sixty more dunums planted with olive trees.

6- El-Jaba'a:

The village extends over 5 km along the green line. The geographical location for this village forms an obstacle against Israelis attempts to move the green line into the borders of Asyoun. However, the settlers have taken over by force an area of 2000 dunums. The five hundred residents of Jaba'a do not dare to cultivate most of the remaining land where ten settlements surround them:

1- From the east Beit-Ein settlement which consists of five houses occupied by members of the extremist Kakh movement (the settlers open fire every time they saw a Palestinian villager even if he is 2 km away), they added 20 mobile homes on Sept. 13, 1993.

- The owners of Wadi -elkhanazir, which is planted with fruit trees, are prohibited from entering their property near the main road to connect Asyoun to the green line forming the borders of the greater Jerusalem.

2- Habilah settlement consists mostly of agricultural land was built in 1985.

3- Expansion of Kfar Asyoun settlement.

4- Aloane Shiffoan.

5- Rosh Isream

6- Ghos Asyoun

7- Migdaal Ooz.

8- Effrate.

9- Danial

10- El'e-Eisaar.

-The Israeli authorities prevent building new houses. The village remains without electricity, water supply nor paved streets. The village is surrounded by sophisticated and organized road network for the settlements.

-On 16 October 1993, the Israeli aannounced in the newspapers the annexation of more land from the village to Beit-Ein settlement and when residents went to inquire about this announcement, they saw maps in the settlement council center indicating that Kfar Atsyoun area is including the Palestinian village of al-Jaba'a, Nahhalin, Wadi Fookin, Housan, Bittar and Wadi Rahhal are annexed to Israel.

7- Sourif:

The village extends over 6 to 7 km along the green line.

-Sourif's area is in continuous decrease due to changes in the map in the settlement center. A resident of the village stated that the green line borders are changed every year as a result of confiscation hundreds of dunums.

- Farmers are not able to reach the border areas due to fear of punishment from the authorities...e.g. Abdel Qader Mohammad Ghunaimat is a good example. He owns twenty dunums west of the village and adjacent to the green line, he was ordered to uproot his 500 trees or the Israeli authorities will do the job charging him 150 NIS (equivalent to about $500) for each tree, the deadline was 20 December 1993 and the Israeli authorities uprooted the trees. His neighbor, terrified of the consequences, uprooted his own trees, the Israeli forest preserve confiscated the uprooted trees. Awaiting for their case to be heard in the court, the owners of the land afraid that they may be forced to pay a 60,000 NIS fine in addition to land confiscation.

- A new agricultural settlement, Rojlette, was built west of the village.

These Arab villages are sandwiched between ten Jewish settlements within the West Bank and the green line.
If Israel demands the border of greater Jerusalem, all these villages will be annexed to Israel. Any field visit will show how hard the Israeli authorities are working to accomplish their goal.