Dear Friends,
The ‘open wound’ that is the Occupation begins its 50th year next week. Activists in human rights organizations and my colleagues and I at ACRI touch that wound almost every day and we are well aware of its depth and impact on every aspect of life. While the overall picture remains bleak and difficult, our efforts to change the situation of human rights in the Occupied Territories are never ending and we draw strength from our successes.
We deal with the severe consequences that the Occupation has on human rights every day: extreme limitations on construction and development, restrictions on movement, demolitions of houses and water cisterns, violence and many other injuries involving humiliation, abuse and oppression. The 49th anniversary of the Occupation, which will be marked next week together with Jerusalem Day, provides us an opportunity to take a broader and deeper look at what has changed beyond the Green Line over the years.
A short paper written by Ronit Sela from ACRI shows how the control that Israel applies in the Territories has varied over time and in different places. Israeli control has adopted new forms – none of which have assumed responsibility for safeguarding the rights of the people who live under its control.
In the five decades that have passed since 1967, the Territories have become a fragmented area that encompasses varying degrees and forms of Israeli control. The result is a hybrid condition that can be described as “Occu-nexation” – a combination of occupation and annexation.
International law, Israeli law, military rule and civil authority are applied inconsistently and in a manner which only deepens control in areas annexed by Israel or where the government has vested interests. This has led to an unprecedented regimentation of the Palestinian civilian population. The establishment of settlements has given rise to a double legal standard which enables their expansion and development while causing the displacement of Palestinians from these areas.
Israeli control of the Territories has a powerful and pervasive impact on the daily life of millions of people. Despite the differences between the legal frameworks and the forms of control that are applied in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, the result is similar: Israeli control, in its varied forms, is not accompanied by the responsibility that is incumbent upon those who hold the reins of power. It prevents Palestinian residents – individually and collectively – from exercising their fundamental rights.
The “Occu-nexation” changes, but what remains constant is the systematic violation of human rights. I invite you to read a more comprehensive description of the changing reality in the Territories and to pass it on to others interested in understanding the extent of Israel’s ongoing control in the Territories.
Sharon Abraham-Weiss
Executive Director
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel
