Ruling Palestine

Section 7, Land, colonisation and housing during the ‘Oslo era’ (1993-2000), examines relevant developments during the
years of the Oslo ‘peace process’. It traces Israeli land acquisition and settlement building during that period, which
not only continued but actually accelerated. Other developments examined include, most significantly, the division of
the West Bank into Areas ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’, as agreed upon in the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreements (1995), and the
implications of such territorial divisions for land and property issues in those areas.
Section 8, Summary and conclusion: the second Intifada and beyond, concludes the main body of this study. It traces the
most significant developments in relation to land and property rights since the collapse of the Oslo ‘peace process’ and
the launching of the second Intifada in September 2000. We discuss Israel’s incursions into Palestinian cities in the spring
of 2002 and related developments over the past few years. We focus on the implications of Israel’s construction of its
‘Security Fence’ in the West Bank, the expansion of Jewish settlements, the accelerated demolition of Palestinian homes,
and the razing of vast areas of agricultural lands. We show that all these actions have advanced Israel’s land acquisition
in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. We again reflect on the issue of ‘transfer’ and on concerns for the future in light of
the general thrust of Jewish-Israeli laws and policies since the inception of the Zionist movement over a century ago.
Throughout, we make reference to applicable international law and Israel’s continued violations of such law, especially
in the Occupied Territories.
INTRODUCTION — SECTION 1 11