EU-Settlements Watch
1 September- 31 December 1999
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
GENERAL BACKGROUND

A. There are around 200 settlements in the occupied territories¹ : 145- 169 settlements in the West Bank outside the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem and 18 settlements in Gaza, In East Jerusalem there are at least 12 settlements inside the municipal boundary.

According to data published by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics 166.100 settlers were living in the West Bank at the end of 1998, while 6.400 settlers were living in the Gaza strip.

B. The EU continues to oppose Israeli settlement activities in the occupied territories as being illegal and an obstacle to peace. The new Israeli government committed itself not to build any new settlements while not detrimentally affecting existing settlements 2). The following summarizes the Watch Report from 1 September- 31 December 19993).

TRENDS:

C. Construction within --existing settlements 4) -- continues unabated. Intensive construction work is ongoing in Har Homa/ Jabel Abu Ghneim and in Ras AI-Anmd. The Israeli Housing Ministry officially confirms having issued tenders for the construction of 1.798 residential units in settlements for which construction permits were issued by the previous government. "Peace Now" claims that a total of 3.196 tenders were approved by the current Government. Officially it neither confirms nor rejects the claim that a total of 2.757 construction permits were issued by the current Government. 2.139 requests for construction permits are still to be decided upon by the Ministry of Defence; "Peace Now" estimates that up to 4000 construction permits are being considered by the Ministry ofHousing for tendering. In December'the Israeli NGO "Peace Now" claims that within only four months the approval rate for tenders under the new Israeli government almost equals the annual building rate of the previous government. Most of the published tenders serve the construction in settlements within the "Greater Jerusalem" area. In the beginning of December PM Barak announced that no new building permits would be issued while Final Status Negotiations are under way. He added, however, that building projects already approved would continue and be completed.

A new masterplan for the Itamar settlement is approved covering six times the area previously allotted for the settlement (1.500 acres).

The Palestinian Authority considers the ongoing construction as well as the tendering for further construction in settlements as major obstacles for progress in the Final Status Negotiations and damaging to the Peace Process.

   D. Under the new government no new -- settlement outposts (satellite settlements) -- have been  registered . The government prevented several attempts to set up new outposts.

Of the 42 settlement outposts established since 1996 the government qualifies 8 as legal and 7 as illegal according to Israeli law (Bar An7011a, Havat Maon, Eastern Bill of Yitzhar, Hirbet a-Shuma, Har Hersha,Ha 'yovel/Elia, Hill  799 Shevut Rachel Vav). The fate of the remaining 27 sites is officially pending examination according to a variety of parameters taking into account state, security and public factors. Some of these settlement outposts have, however , been enlarged by a total of 83 structures (e.g. caravans; mobile-homes, converted shipping containers and tents). The authorisation of the newly extended masterplan allows the Itamar settlement near Nablus to maintain 5 disputed outposts (Givat Hahayal, Givat Olam, Hill 782, Hil1851, Hagid Onim).

PM Barak and the Yesha Council of J Jewish settlements in the West bank agree on 12 October to remove 10 outposts, Due to differences between the two sides over oral side-agreements accompanying a written agreement and the resistance by some affected settlers the removal of the outposts is delayed and pat:partly modified. Eventually about 25 families in 5 inhabited outposts (Havat Maon, Givat Hahayal, Mitzpeh Erez, Mitzpeh Hagit, Magen David) are evacuated, eight families and some individuals of one outpost (Mitzpeh Kramim) are moved to a new location one kilometer away from the mother settlement Kochav Hashar. Five uninhabited outposts are dismantled (2 outposts close to Shevut Rachel, 2 outposts close to Kiryat Arba and Mitzpeh Shuma north of Eli settlement) . It remains unclear, however, if all of the 11 settlement outposts are dismantled completely and permanently or if some of the outposts are removed only partially and temporarily. The Yesha Council maintains that according to the agreement reached with the government at least some of the removed outposts could be rebuilt after obtaining all the required legal authorizations in orderly fashion. "Peace Now" claims that the Israeli Civil Administration has recently approved installments of mobile homes on 2 hill top which have previously been evacuated of settlement outposts (Mitzpeh Hagit, Mitzpeh Erez) .

 E.  The removal of 11 settlement outposts displays the resolution of the new Israeli government to curtail the illegal action of the settlement movement. The continued existence of other illegal outposts, including several satellite settlements which have been established after the signing of the"Wye-Memorandum" in October 1998, and the unwarranted build-up and extension of existing settlements. Regarding the announced moratorium on new construction permits, it remains to be seen whether it actually represents a significant shift in the Government's settlement policy which continues to prejudge and complicate the Final Status Negotiations.

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1) It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between new settlements and an extension of an existing settlement. The following figures are therefore approximate depending on the definition of "new" or "expanded".

2) See the Basic Guide-lines, of the Israeli government in EU-Settlements- Watch 1st May - 31 st August 1999.

3) The Settlements Watch is produced by the European Union Representative Offices in the Palestinian Territories , and Consulate Generals in Jerusalem and agreed with the European Union Heads of Mission in Tel Aviv. It draws on.official statements, reports from NGOs and the press (both Israeli and Palestinian) and local expertise aiming for the highest degree of accuracy possible.

4) Boundaries of existing settlements are unilaterally defined by the Israeli government. The physical boundary of existing settlements do not necessarily reflect the planned boundaries envisaged by the Israeli side.

5) Since the signing of the,;Wye-River-Memorandum"; on 23rd October 1998 until the Israeli election on 17 May 1999 settlers in the Westbank have put up new settlements outposts on at least 19 previously empty hintopsraising the number of such settlement Qutposts established since 1996 to at least 42. For details see EU-Settlements- Watch 1stMay-31stAugust1999.