Israel Approves 1,300 Palestinian Homes in the West Bank
JERUSALEM, Israel – In a rare move on Monday, Israel greenlit some 1,300 Palestinian homes in the West Bank – biblical Judea and Samaria.
The decision authorized already existing homes and gave permission to build new ones, an Israeli security official speaking on condition of anonymity told AP. The building process will likely encounter repeated delays and final approval could take months or even years, much like the approval process for Israeli homes.
Israel controls about 60% of the West Bank, including territory called “Area C.” The Oslo Accords, agreed to by Israel and the Palestinian Authority in 1993, divided the West Bank into “Areas A, B & C.” In Area A, the Palestinian Authority maintains civilian and security control. In Area B, Israel maintains security control while the Palestinian Authority has civilian authority. In Area C, Israel controls both security and civilian matters, and Palestinians cannot build without Israeli approval. However, for years, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tolerated illegal Palestinian building. These homes are routinely demolished by Israel’s military, but others have also been allowed to remain.
While Palestinians are free to build in areas A and B, Palestinian rights groups say the decision to approve the 1,300 Palestinian homes doesn’t go far enough to meet the housing need in the West Bank. Palestinians seek to build in Area C and view it as part of a future independent Palestinian state, but some Israeli officials argue that plan would jeopardize Israel’s security. Because of this security concern, the Palestinian Authority has never been given jurisdiction over Area C. Opponents of Palestinian building in Area C see it as a plan by the Palestinian Authority with European Union funding to create "facts on the ground" in this area.
Israel’s authorization of the Palestinian homes came days after it approved the construction of more than 3,000 housing units in Jewish settlement communities located in Area C last week.
The settlements are located on land that is disputed by the Palestinians and Israel. Leaders on both sides have said the territory’s permanent status is to be resolved through peace negotiations, but direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians have been suspended for years.
The Palestinians seek the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and eastern Jerusalem – territories Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War – as part of a future state. The Palestinians view the settlements as a major obstacle to peace and most of the international community considers them to be illegal according to article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Israel cites the San Remo Resolution signed in 1920 after World War I as its right under international law to settle the land. Israel also views the disputed territory that the settlement communities are built on as the biblical and historical heartland of the Jewish people.
Click to get your copy of Whose Land Is It? Jewish and Arab Claims to Israel
While Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett strongly supports Israel’s settlements, they are opposed by the US and some left-wing and Islamist members of Israel’s ruling government coalition. State Department Spokesman Ned Price said last week that Israel’s approval of the 3,000 Jewish units “is completely inconsistent with efforts to lower tensions and to ensure calm, and it damages the prospects for a two-state solution.” This contrasts with the Trump administration’s policy implemented by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who declared that Israeli settlements are not “inconsistent with international law.”
Israel’s government says the authorization of the 1,300 Palestinian homes is part of its strategy to adopt a more moderate approach to minimize friction with the US and tensions in its governing coalition, which includes parties across the political spectrum.
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