200 new trailers placed in West Bank outposts since June

Since the Lebanon war, some 200 mobile homes and trailers have been placed in the West Bank on Palestinian property without any legal permits. At a time when Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz are supposed to be committed to reducing Israel's settler community, all indications are that it is rising. These 200 trailers represent a substantial increase over the few dozen placed there at the start of the year.

Immediately upon taking up his position this May, the defense minister [Peretz] said taking down the illegal outposts would be a central issue during his term. On his first visit to the Central Command, he promised to deal firmly with outpost inhabitants who attacked their Palestinian neighbors. In other declarations that month, he committed himself to re-examining the construction policy in the territories and ordered preparations for the first outpost evacuations. In June, the Nahal Brigade trained to evacuate settlers from Havat Maon. The abduction of Gilad Shalit at the end of June and the outbreak of the Lebanon war two weeks later shelved the plans and took the outposts off the agenda. Ever since the end of the war, there has been a building celebration in the West Bank. Civil Administration reports have been piling up on the minister's desk: The 10 mobile homes placed in June rose to about 50 in October and 90 this past month.

Ostensibly, the Israel Defense Forces are preparing for an evacuation. From time to time Peretz's bureau issues soothing releases to the left, stating the minister is determined to take down outposts. However, even Peretz knows this is no longer expected to happen. The prime minister told the Italian media two weeks ago that the political situation does not currently enable the evacuation of outposts.

The army has yet to present the minister with evacuation plans. When Peretz expresses a desire for progress, the IDF responds that conditions are not yet ripe. The excuses change: the scars of the war in the north, then the olive harvest and finally Hanukkah and Christmas.

Peretz, attempting to avoid forced evacuations, has set up a secret channel with the settlers - only to find that the settlers leaked the existence of the channel to the media.

Peretz has also been trying to ease restrictions on Palestinians through taking down some road blocks although he has met with stiff resistance from the IDF.

The plan calls for the dismantling of 49 dirt barriers, among them a few permanent roadblocks. It was translated into English and won enthusiasm from the American administration. Then, GOC Central Command Yair Naveh convinced Chief of Staff Dan Halutz to block it. As an alternative, Naveh proposed creating a separate road system for Palestinian traffic in the West Bank. The price is in dispute. Naveh is talking about approximately NIS 40 million. Defense Ministry sources are convinced his plan would cost at least NIS 150 million, making it unfeasible.

This is, of course, only taking place because of Abbas' meeting with Olmert and the need to now show some kind of reward for Abbas' obsequience. However, separate road systems make most people think of Apartheid, so the reward for Abbas' sell out can hardly be said to be great. What we are really talking about here is the removal of a few dirt barriers, however the US will now attempt to sell this as a significant concession from the Israelis in "the road to peace".

Nor has even this meagre proposal been universally welcomed or proven easy to carry out.

Peretz's political aide Hagai Alon - who replaces Spiegel as "assistant for matters concerning the Palestinian fabric of life" next week - has been trying to breathe life into the barrier plan. The army refused to cooperate, and even refused to send officers to meetings on the issue. Then, in the wake of the meeting between Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, the urgent need for gestures cropped up, and the dust was shaken off the Spiegel plan.

Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh helped persuade Peretz to adopt the plan. Over the course of several meetings this Monday, Peretz accepted the plan, then accepted Naveh's reservations, and in the end, after a stormy discussion with Sneh, returned to his assistants' position. On Tuesday Olmert agreed with Peretz. The army was given a week to submit reservations. If there is no interference from the weather - or a suicide bomber - the barriers will begin disappearing next week. It is still but a drop in the bucket.

And all the while, more and more trailers are popping up all over the West Bank. This is the reality of what real reward Abbas has gained for all his "reasonableness".

He appears to be enabling the Israelis and the Americans to present themselves as making significant steps towards change when, in reality, as Ha'aretz newspaper says "It is still but a drop in the bucket".

And these small steps forward must be measured against the larger backward steps that the new settlers represent. The numbers speak for themselves.

The 10 mobile homes placed in June rose to about 50 in October and 90 this past month.

Whilst Olmert, Bush, Peretz and Abbas talk of progress, the only really significant progress being made is in the number of Israeli settlers claiming the right to Palestinian land.

And there appears to be a distinct lack of political will to face up to this outrage. Indeed, with the news the other day that Peretz is allowing the building of the first new settlement in the West Bank for a decade, one has to fear whether that political will exists at all.

Click title for full article.

tag: Bush, Israel, Palestine, Olmert, Israeli cabinet, Abbas, settlements