Abstract

Today almost 400 000 Israelis live in more than 200 civilian settlements established on territory occupied by Israel in June 1967, including 210 000 in the West Bank and 7 000 in the Gaza Strip. Some of these are settled communities of decades duration, while others can be considered outposts. Various ideas for a territorial division of the occupied territories have been raised during the Oslo years and since, all of which envision in varying degrees the end of Israeli jurisdiction over some settlement areas. Based on extensive data collection, this study will identify scenarios for Israeli territorial withdrawal from the occupied territories and evaluate the potential uses of the evacuated settlements and their associated infrastructure to the Palestinian community. One particularly interesting element to be considered is the interrelationship between the evacuation of Israeli settlements and the resolution of the refugee question.

Post-Project Summary

The up-datable database on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories was completed and is available to the public on the Foundation for Middle East Peace website (http://www.fmep.org/settlement_info/settlement_database.html). The introduction to the Settlement Database and Suitability Assessment says, "Under a grant provided by Canada's International Development and Research Center, the Foundation for Middle East Peace sought to answer the question - In the event of their evacuation, to what degree are the currently existing housing assets in Israeli settlements suitable for Palestinian use? To answer this question, we have developed an integrated database with four main themes. First, we have compiled the most comprehensive database on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories currently available. Second, we have mapped and described eight scenarios for settlement evacuation in the West Bank (including east Jerusalem). Third, we have identified and mapped those parts of the Occupied Territories that the Palestinian Authority itself believes are most suitable for the contemplated expansion of housing resources for Palestinians. Fourth, we have examined the degree to which every settlement and each evacuation scenario offer suitable housing opportunities for Palestinians."

The Foundation carried out workshops with the Palestinian Ministry of Planning, political party representatives, mayors from different West Bank towns, councilors from different West Bank villages, nongovernmental organizations, media organizations, chambers of commerce and the Palestine Investment Fund. The Foundation also met with a policy think tank in Israel, the Economic Cooperation Foundation. In the United States, they met with the State Department, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the World Bank. According to the internal reviewer, the project made a real contribution when plans for Gaza redeployment moved forward.

The project was unique in that it resulted in the creation of the only resource that brings publicly available and semi-public documents on the settlement question together in one location (the database). It was also important in terms of highlighting the implications of the construction of the Israeli security wall in the West Bank. The project team was able point out the potential effects of the wall in terms of urban settlement patterns, impacts on livelihoods, etc. The team flagged a number of evacuation scenarios and the impacts of these, and drew up a protocol for the valuation of existing building stock in settlements. Policy papers were produced quickly in response to issues that emerged during the course of the project and were disseminated broadly but strategically in policy circles, particularly "Financing the Palestinian Authority" and "Legal Status of Israel's Occupation of Gaza post Redeployment."

Recipient Institution(s)