Sunday, May 6, 2012

THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY: Palestinian Territories

Reference to an article written by Antonia Dimou



Background Information:

  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

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