This morning, the Israeli Civil Administration distributed ten demolition orders in Area B, despite it being designated to the civil administration of the Palestinian Authority. During the past year and a half, the Israeli government, led by Smotrich in the Ministry of Defense, has pushed to take control of civil administration in Area B.
What’s going on and what are the political ramifications of this move
Area B is 22% of the West Bank and under Palestinian Authority (PA) civil authority and Israeli military authority since the signing of the Oslo accords. The Israeli government is now beginning it’s take over civil authority of Area B, a step likely to lead to demolitions of Palestinian homes and expulsion of Palestinians from the area.
The Agreed-upon Reserve
According to the Oslo Accords, some areas defined as Area C, under direct Israeli military control, were supposed to gradually become Area B. However, by 1998, all territory transfers had been frozen, and 75% of the West Bank remained Area C. This elongated freeze led to the Wye River Agreements during Netanyahu’s government. Negotiators reported that Netanyahu was only willing to transfer at most 11% from Area C to Area B in the next phase, maintaining more land under full Israeli control. Arafat wanted at least 15% to come under Area B under PA civilian control.
The agreement reached was that 3% of the West Bank would become Area B, meaning under Palestinian Authority civil administration, but with a ban on Palestinian construction. This area was defined as an “agreed reserve”.
The agreement effectively froze Palestinian construction in 3% of the West Bank.
The Political Reason
This agreement, was meant to last until 1999 when a permanent agreement would be reached. No permanent agreement has ever been reached, and in the past years, the PA has allowed some construction in the area.
Last month, the Israeli Government Assumed Authorities of the Palestinian Authority of the “Agreed-Upon Reserve” in the West Bank. This step constitutes a major move towards eroding remaining authority in Palestinian hands granted by Oslo, and is inevitably going to lead directly to the demolition of Palestinian homes, expulsion of communities, and to the expansion of settlements to the area.
Last week, Smotrich toured the area an assured that the next step is the demolition of Palestinian buildings in the area.
Israel claims environmental and historical protection as the reasons for taking control of the area, but other actions by the government contradicts this reason. For example, at this time, Israel is establishing an outpost on a UNESCO site and Palestinian farm in Al-Makhrour in Beit Jala, Area C. Groups like Peace now and One Climate have also documented how the state has built settlements in a way that harms nature preserves and protected areas. These actions suggest the takeover is more about settlement expansion and control over Palestinian territories than preservation.
This move can be understood as part of Smotrich’s Decisive plan, which aims to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, annex the whole of the West Bank and to divide the Palestinian population into six municipal regions within the West Bank in order to end aspirations for Palestinian statehood. As early as July 2023, Smotrich said, “We will define the activities of the Palestinian Authority as hostile, we will operate in Areas A and B” as a general goal and not just in the context of the agreed reserve. These new administrative controls of Area B area are a step towards annexation, dispossession, and population transfers.
Israel’s occupation of the whole of the West Bank is illegal under international law and the state does not have a right to the land, its administration, or to decide on long term building projects. This decision shows an escalation against Palestinian citizens and is likely to add to the existing flames of violence and to endanger both Palestinians and Israelis in the medium and long term.
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