There
are two areas which are considered go be part of the Palestinian
Authority (PA). They include the areas known as the West Bank and the
Gaza Strip. The President of the Palestinian Authority or PA is Mahmud
Abbas, who was elected in 2005.
These territories were
placed under Palestinian rule in September 1993 through the "Israel-PLO
Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government. Arrangements
provided for a transitional period of Palestinian self-rule" (Central
Intelligence Agency). The agreement placed the areas under Palestinian
control for 5 years, after which a permanent agreement would be
negotiated. By 1999, Israel had transferred "security and civilian
responsibility" of the Palestinian-populated areas to the PA, but
negotiations over what would become of the the two territories were
stalled due to an "intifada", which is a period of intensified
Palestinian-Israeli violence, in September 2000. In 2005, Israel removed
all troops and 21 settlements from the Gaza Strip for the first time
since 1967. The strip was considered to be under Palestinian control,
but under the terms of the agreement made, Israel continued to control
the "external perimeter" which includes airspace, activity in the sea
off the strip, and the border of Eqypt and Gaza. Israel also
gained the ability to control the movement of goods into Gaza and the
taxation system, through agreements made between PA and Israel.There is
still great conflict between the Palestinians and the Israeli's over the
creation of a Palestinian state.
Gaza Strip:
According
to the CIA World Factbook, the Palestinian territories are located in
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Israel.
The area of the Gaza strip is 360 square kilometers, which is about the
size of 2 Washington D.C's. Some of the environmental issues in the
area include "desertification, salination of fresh water, sewage
treatment, water-borne diseases, and depletion and contamination of
underground water resources." The population of this area is about 1.6
million. 99.3% of the population is Muslim and .7% is Christian, and are
known as the Palestinian Arabs who speak mainly Arabic and Hebrew.
360,000 people out of 1.5 million have access to internet and
telephones. 70% of the population is below the poverty line and 40% of
the population is unemployed. 92.4% of the population is literate above
the age of 15. Some of the major agriculture products include olives,
flowers, fruit, vegetables, beef and dairy products. The industries are
mainly involved in textiles and food processing.
West Bank:
According
to the CIA World Factbook, The West Bank is also in the Middle East and
located to the west of Jordan. The area is 5,860 square kilometers
(approximately the size of Delaware). The land is arable, but suffers
from droughts similar to the Gaza Strip. The two main environmental
issues include "adequacy of fresh water supply and sewage treatment."
The population is approximately 2.5 million. Eighty-three percent of the
population are Palestinian Arab and 17% are Jewish, while 75% are
Muslim, 17% are Jewish and 8% are considered "other". The predominate
language spoken is Arabic. The literacy rate is 92.4% above the age of
15, which is the same as Gaza Strip. Fortunately, the unemployment rate
is much lower than Gaza Strip at 19%, and 46% of the population is below
the poverty line compared to Gaza's 70%. This area's agricultural
products are the same as the Gaza Strip, but the major industries
include "small-scale manufacturing, quarrying, textiles, soap,
olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs".
Articles
1. Israeli's Second Disengagement of Gaza
by Antonia Dimou (August 13, 2010)
This article discussed the proposal made by Israeli Foreign Minister,
Avigdor Lieberman, for a second disengagement from Gaza. The proposal
"works to secure E.U cooperation to rebuild the Gaza Strip and
relinquish all Israeli responsibility for Gaza including the lifting of
the naval blockade on it".
The author of the article
discusses how the Gaza Strip and West Bank are considered as a "single
territorial entity" and that both Israeli and Palestinian parties are
quoted saying just that. She finds it "legally profound" that because
Israel contains control over West Bank, that under Article 42 of the
Hague Regulations, Gaza will continue to be occupied territory. The
Article states "territory is considered occupied when it is actually
placed under the authority of the hostile army. The occupation extends
only to the territory where such authority has been established and can
be exercised" (International Committee of the Red Cross). Therefore, Gaza
is going to continue to be considered an Israeli occupied territory due
to Israel control over the West Bank.
The author, Antonia
Dimou, believes there are "two major issues that need to be addressed
before an Israeli disengagement takes place". The first is the
possibility of a "humanitarian disaster", and the second is about the
steps that need to be taken to prevent an "intractable security
problem". Egypt may also play a role in the flow of goods into Gaza, but
both sides have reservations on working together from past disputes.
In
the final words of the article, Palestinians need to unite together as
one voice, and only then will they begin to prosper in their efforts for
equality.
2. Middle East Leaders in Direct Talks
Aljazeera.net (September 14, 2010)
Israeli and Palestinian leaders recently met in Egypt for a "second
round of US-brokered direct negotiations against a backdrop of continued
differences over Israel's plan to build more illegal Jewish settlements
on Palestinian land". There has been no evidence that a compromise has
been reached between the Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, and
the Palestinian leader, Mahmud Abbas, who are said to be in need of a
"serious discussion on core issues" including "Israel's security, the
borders of a future Palestinian state, the fate of Palestinian refugees
and the future of Jerusalem." The article states that the U.S believes
that there is a possibility for a peace deal between the two nations
within the next year. Both Barak Obama and Hilary Clinton have called
for a 10 month "moratorium" or legal authorized period of delay, on the
illegal settlements, and also say that an "agreement could be forged
between both the Israelis and the Palestinians on actions that could be
taken by both sides that would enable the negotiations to continue".
According to the article, the Palestinians have stated that they will
not continue further negotiations with Israel if there is no
moratorium.
Despite the conflict emerging, Israel has
continued to build new Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem, which is
the proclaimed capital of the Palestinian Authority. Many believe that
due to the continued building, and Israel's refusal to discontinue, the
creation of a Palestinian state "does not look promising". Ultimately,
the "Palestinians want a state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with
East Jerusalem as its capital. Netanyahu, has embraced a two state
solution, but has shown no sign on yielding on Jerusalem as the
undivided capital of the Jewish state".
3. PM begins Trilateral Meeting, says "There is a lot of work"
by Herb Keinon (September 15, 2010)
Talks
began in Jerusalem on Wednesday September 15, 2010, between the PA
President, Mahmud Abbas, the Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu,
and the U.S Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton. When asked whether
progress is being made the Prime Minister responded that they "are
working on it..there is a lot of work". The Secretary of State held
meetings with the Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman and the President
Shimon Peres, as well as Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Before attending
any meetings on Wednesday, Clinton "expressed hop about the latest round
of Israeli Palestinian peace talks" and also stated that the Prime
Minister and PA President are finally "getting down to business and have
started to grapple with the core issues that can only be solved in face
to face negotiations". The U.S will be supporters to the both leaders
through out the process as an "active and sustained partner". These
talks are believed to be revolutionary to the conflict and not "history
repeating itself". Both sides believe that only good things with come
from these peace talks.
References:
Aljazeera.net. (2010, September 14). Middle East Leaders in Direct Talks. Retrieved September 14, 2010, from http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/09/201091412441714562.html
Dimou, Antonia. (2010, August 13). Israel's Second Disengagement from Gaza. Retrieved September 13, 2010, from http://www.worldpress.org/Mideast/3607.cfm.
Keinon, Herb. (2010, September 15). PM begins trialateral meeting, says "There is a lot of Work". Retrieved September 15, 2010, from http://www.jpost.com/VideoArticles/Article.aspx?id=188181
