Why does Israel want to annex the West Bank? | Start Here

Let’s talk about Israel taking over the West Bank. They’ve occupied it for decades. The difference this time is Israel wants to make it official. But Palestinians call it an illegal land grab. The Arab League, most European countries and the United Nations are against it too. So what would annexation mean for people in the occupied West Bank? What’s in it for Israel? And what does the US election have to do with it? When it comes to understanding news out of Israel and Palestine it helps to look at a map. The fact that the map changes all the time well that’s part of the problem. Here’s what it looks like today. This part is considered Israel. The Gaza Strip and the West Bank are under Palestinian control. The real power, though, lies with Israel. Those Palestinian territories are under an Israeli military occupation. And it’s Israel that decides who and what goes in or out and a whole lot more. And this arrangement is considered illegal under international law. Now the map hasn’t always looked like this. This was Palestine before 1948. Over time Israel expanded by winning wars moving borders and building settlements. The focus right now is the occupied West Bank. In more than 50 years Israel’s built at least 250 settlements. They’re home to more than 600,000 Israeli settlers. And all those compounds are connected by roads that only Israelis can use. It means Palestinians are trapped on a patchwork of land blocked by Israeli separation walls and with limited freedom to travel. They have to get through Israeli military checkpoints. And now Israel wants to annex some of that territory meaning it will extend its sovereignty over land it already occupies. Now it’s unclear which parts the Israeli government is eyeing. But it could be as much as 30% of the West Bank including the Jordan Valley. Maybe more. And the Palestinians see that only one way. Let’s understand what life is already like for Palestinians living in the West Bank. So what will annexation change? Well, some Palestinians say — not a lot. But others think life for them is going to get much harder. They fear more evictions. More Palestinians displaced, and even fewer rights. One of the biggest concerns for Palestinians is the annexation of the Jordan Valley. It’ll give the Israeli military a strategic vantage point. Full view and control over the area plus total access to the Jordan River. It also means surrounding Palestinian territories in the West Bank and cutting off their access to water. Palestinian farmers in the West Bank say they barely get enough water as it is. Israeli settlers in the Jordan Valley receive almost 20 times more water than they do. All of these issues risk upsetting Israel’s neighbours. Like Jordan. So what’s Israel’s justification? Well, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t even call it annexation. He calls it applying sovereignty over Jewish settlements. It’s something he’s always wanted to do. He’s made it a campaign promise in the last three elections. But it’s not just Netanyahu. The Israeli position has always been that the country faces the threat of attack and that the land they’re taking is historically theirs. Practically speaking annexation also makes it easier to build more settlements. Usually it’s Israel’s defence ministry which approves construction. But if Israel treats occupied West Bank land as its own settlement construction would boil down to local paperwork. All these plans were supposed to go ahead in July. But they’re on hold for lots of reasons. The details about annexation still haven’t been worked out. And Netanyahu’s coalition partner Benny Gantz says he’d rather focus on fighting the coronavirus for now at least. Even the Americans want more discussion. But there’s no question they’re onside. In fact annexation is part of the Trump administration’s plan for the region, what the president calls his deal of the century. Jared Kushner — his son-in-law and senior adviser drew up the blueprint he says offers a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side. But the Palestinians weren’t consulted. And they’re not buying it. The plan promises a future Palestinian state in exchange for Israel annexing large parts of the West Bank. The Palestinians rejected the deal then … … and they still do now. There’s also a US presidential election in the mix. That’s in November. And plenty of analysts say Prime Minister Netanyahu is trying to seal the deal in case Trump is voted out. The challenge will be to maintain that momentum in the face of nearly universal condemnation. Even some Israeli settlers aren’t happy with annexation. But for different reasons. Because Trump’s Middle East plan gives the Palestinians a state their own no matter how small and disjointed. And that’s why many Palestinians we’ve spoken to say the whole idea of reaching some kind of two-state solution has been a non-starter for a long time. It’s a different dynamic that could give Israel the political space to forge ahead with annexation. Which many Palestinians expect Israel to do anyway. Palestinians say it’s about Israel’s track record. That’s something they know well. They don’t see annexation as a moment or a particular date but as decades of Israeli policy that have gone unchallenged. And right now they don’t see that changing. To find out more about the annexation plans I’d recommend visiting Al Jazeera’s website and clicking on the interactives tab. The AJ Labs team has crunched the numbers and put together really informative maps that help illustrate what’s going on in the West Bank. I’ll see you all next week.

Channel: Al Jazeera English

Views: 1,228,736

Keywords: israel, israel annexation, west bank, aljazeera english happening now, al jazeera live, al jazeera english, what is annexation, aljazeera, al jazeera, gaza, hamas, israel expansion, israel peace plan, israel settlement history, mahmoud abbas, netanyahu, palestine, benjamin netanyahu, ישראל, סיפוח ישראל, latest news, gaza air strikes, gaza strip, middle east, sheikh jarrah, israel attack, israel war live, israel now, strike, media building, ceo reaction, Israel palestine conflict

Id: 6uuD0cGKu1Y

Length: 10min 7sec (607 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 12 2020