Palestine: Annexation, Occupation + Apartheid
A factsheet on why and how Israel’s further annexation of the West Bank matters; and what must be done to fight against Israel’s apartheid plan and the cementing of military occupation over millions of Palestinians.
By Leen Quteineh
The support in the Middle East for the Black Lives Matter movement, especially amongst Palestinians who took part in the protests around the world, is a very significant milestone for our global fight against injustice. Now, we need to do the same thing for Palestine. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, per usual, remains very underreported in the Media. Even when some issues are reported, there is an apparent bias in favour of Israel.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐤?
• The West Bank is a landlocked territory near the Mediterranean coast of Western Asia.
• It is part of the Palestinian Territories, alongside the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.
• It has been occupied by Israel since 1967 following the Six-Day War. This is considered to be a de facto annexation.
• It has an estimated population of 3 million Palestinians and half a million Israeli settlers residing in illegal settlements.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧?
• Annexation is the forcible acquisition of one state’s territory by another state
• It is generally an illegal act under international law.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐨 𝐍𝐨𝐰?
• From 1 July, in coordination with the US, steps will be taken to formally annex illegal Israeli settlements and the Jordan Valley.
• This comes after culmination of years of appropriation of land through the forced displacement of Palestinians and the illegal settlement of the West Bank and annexation of East Jerusalem.
• By annexing the West Bank, Israel would be taking over occupied Palestinian territory and making it an integral part of the Israeli state.
• Thousands of Palestinian residents would be granted neither citizenship nor equal rights.
• THIS IS THE INSTITUTIONALISATION OF APARTHEID.
𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐍𝐨𝐰?
• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, a far right politician, was indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in 2019.
• He struggled to win the Israeli elections after three inconclusive elections, which resulted in a power-share, through a coalition government, with his rival Benny Gantz.
• One of his Netanyahu’s biggest campaign promises was the annexation of the official West Bank.
• Since the start of the Trump administration, the Israeli far right has enjoyed the full support of the White House. Donald Trump overturned decades of US policy by:
1. Recognising Jerusalem, instead of Tel Aviv, as the Israeli capital.
2. Accepting Israel’s claims to sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights.
3. Denying the illegality of the Israeli Settlements in the West Bank.
• Therefore, Netanyahu wants to deliver his campaign promise while he still enjoys the support of the Trump administration and the diversion of the world’s attention to the pandemic.
𝐈𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐚𝐰?
• Annexation is an illegal act under international law.
• In a 2013 Report by the United Nations Human Rights Council, the UN declared that Israeli settlements constituted multiple violations of the Geneva Conventions and international law.
• Even the High Court of Justice in Israel, with a variety of different justices sitting, has repeatedly stated for more than 4 decades that Israel’s presence in the West Bank is in violation of international law
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞?
• If and once the West Bank is annexed, it will be virtually impossible to reverse illegitimate territorial gains.
• The risks of annexation include the collapse of the Palestinian Authority and possibly the end of the Oslo Agreement between Israel and Jordan and Egypt with its de facto allies in the Gulf, which was an attempt to establish peace in the region.
• Palestinians living in the West Bank will suffer the most. There are SERIOUS threats of massive expropriation of Palestinian land and property, the subsequent expulsion of individuals, families and entire communities from the annexed territories. The current estimate is 300,000 Palestinians will be displaced.
• Surely, the annexation of the West Bank drastically increases the likelihood of a resurgence of violence in the region.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬?
• Europe: Israel’s biggest trade partner
• While the European Union was quick to condemn Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and impose sanctions against Moscow, its response to Israel’s colonisation has been weak.
• Within Europe, Germany’s Foreign Minister has stated that the annexation will destroy any lingering hopes for establishing a Palestinian state and reaching a two-state peace agreement. However, he refused to specify how or if the EU or Germany will respond to this issue.
• The UK’s Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa, told Parliament: “Our long-standing position is that we do not support the annexation of parts of the West Bank, and… doing so could make a sustainable two-state solution harder.”
• Yet, the UK continues to trade with Israel, which results in the violation of the human rights of Palestinians. Between 2014 and 2018, the UK issued individual licenses for £364 million worth of military equipment and technology for export to Israel, as well as 20 open licenses, allowing unlimited deliveries over a 3–5 year period.
• In France, the Government was recently convicting and fining Palestinian solidarity campaigners for promoting a boycott of Israeli products. Boycotting is the most peaceful way of protesting. The European Court of Human Rights found this to be a breach of Article 10 (freedom of expression) of the European Convention on Human Rights.
• While Palestinians and supporters of the Palestinian cause are fighting for their LAWFUL right to peacefully protest through boycotting, Israel is getting away with UNLAWFULLY annexing the West Bank and destroying the lives of many Palestinians.
• The UAE and Saudi Arabia have warned against the annexation but no serious measures were taken.
