Settlements | The American Task Force on Palestine

The Anti-Balfour Declaration
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) July 10, 2012 - 12:00am

Wonder what it feels like to have inadvertently put yourself between a rock and a hard place? Just ask Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On Monday the Levy Committee, which he appointed last January, issued its report that was supposed to examine the question of Israeli “state lands” in the occupied Palestinian territories, but has far exceeded its mandate. The most significant aspect of the report is its blunt assertion that Israel is not “the occupying power” in the occupied territories.

The Anti-Balfour Declaration
In Print by Hussein Ibish - The Daily Beast (Opinion) - July 10, 2012 - 12:00am

Wonder what it feels like to have inadvertently put yourself between a rock and a hard place? Just ask Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On Monday the Levy Committee, which he appointed last January, issued its report that was supposed to examine the question of Israeli “state lands” in the occupied Palestinian territories, but has far exceeded its mandate. The most significant aspect of the report is its blunt assertion that Israel is not “the occupying power” in the occupied territories.

Report on outposts' legality states Israel isn't an occupying force in West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Chaim Levinson - July 9, 2012 - 12:00am

A report by a committee formed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to examine the legal aspects of West Bank land ownership recommended to sanction all Israeli outposts, rejecting the claim that Israel's presence in the territory is that of an occupying force. The Levy Committee, headed by former court vice president Edmond Levy, recommends a fundamental change in the legal regime in the West Bank, including the annulment of a long list of laws, High Court of Justice Rulings and procedures in order to permit Jews to settle in all of Judea and Samaria.

Israeli settler population surges under Netanyahu
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Amy Teibel - July 9, 2012 - 12:00am

Since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was elected more than three years ago, the Jewish population in the West Bank has ballooned by 18 percent, drawing tens of thousands of Israelis to the territory the Palestinians claim as the heartland of a future state, according to figures obtained by The Associated Press.

Settling truths
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
(Editorial) July 9, 2012 - 12:00am

After nearly six months of investigations, three legal experts known colloquially as “the outpost committee” – a government-appointed advisory body – submitted some clear-cut conclusions.

Israeli settlements 'jeopardising' Palestinian prosperity
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
July 5, 2012 - 12:00am

The study suggests Palestinians could generate an extra £1bn ($1.5bn) a year if restrictions to their use of land, water and movements were removed. It says Palestinians can use only 6% of the land, while settlers control 86%. Israel criticised the report, saying it had "a clearly political agenda". About 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

Israel rejects settlement university in West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
July 4, 2012 - 12:00am

Israel's council of higher education voted Wednesday not to grant a West Bank college coveted university status, vetoing a move that could have triggered international condemnations and enraged the Palestinians. Sharon Achdut, the council's spokesman, said five out of seven members of the committee voted against upgrading the status of the college in Ariel, one of the largest Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

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