Palestine: Understanding the occupation

Israeli occupation of  Palestine, a very brief summary by Zirrar.

What does Occupation means?

According to RULAC (Geneva Academic of International Humanitarian Law) for a territory to be considered occupied it must be 'under the authority of the hostile army' (in this case the Israeli). For an occupation to exist, hostile the same forces must exercise effective control. Three elements must be fulfilled for this control to exist.

1. The armed forces of a foreign state are physically present in the territory and the territorial state did not consent to their presence.

2. The presence of the foreign forces prevents the effective local government in place at the time of invasion from exercising its powers.

3. The foreign forces establish their own authority.

Israel meets all three requirements in the West Bank, and although Israel 'disengaged' from Gaza in 2005, most of the international community considers Gaza to be occupied.

How does an occupation looks like in the Occupied Palestinian Territories?

Occupation exists for two sets of Palestinians. Those who stayed behind in what became Israel, and those who re-settled or were already in the West Bank and Gaza.

1. The Palestinian that stayed behind

Today they are known as 'Israeli Arabs' or 'Israeli Palestinians' (depending on who you ask). These Palestinians have been forced to relocate several times to make way for more Jewish settlers from around the world who wanted Palestinian land to settle. Israeli will tell you it's a democracy and 'Arabs' living inside Israel are as equal as Jews. In fact, the Israeli Parliament has over 50 laws that discriminate Palestinian citizens of Israel. These Palestinians face daily harassment, abuse, and threat to life from Israeli settlers who see them as sub-human and not worthy of living inside Israel. Each year many Palestinian citizens of Israel are beaten, humiliated and killed from either Israeli settlers or the Israeli police.

Gaza.

1. For Gazan's an occupation means you have no freedom to leave or enter. If you live in Gaza, you cannot travel to the West Bank. And vice versa. Living in Gaza means you're a literal prisoner. You will live and die in this occupation. Though Gaza has a coastline, Israel has put severe restrictions (far less than international maritime borders) on how far Gazan fishermen can go to catch fish. Often Israeli navy fires live ammunition on fishermen even in their own waters. In any case if you think you can leave Gaza by the sea, forget about it. No one enters. No one leaves.

2. Hamas, the democratically elected government of Palestinians in Gaza, have no control over their border. Israeli controls the air and all land borders, except one. The Rafah Crossing in the South is under Israeli Egyptian control. Egypt keeps this border closed most of the time.

3. Palestinians have no airports or seaports. No air force. No navy. Leaving or entering is impossible.

4. Gaza is a 21st century ghetto. Running clean water is a luxury. Electricity is cut off constantly. Most infrastructure is crumbling and each time you rebuild Israel bombs and destroys. Each time Gaza is attacked, Israel targets utility services, usually the single power plant that all Gazan's rely on and the water supply. This is a war crime under the Geneva conventions and countless UN and Amnesia International Reports have highlighted this crime. There is also a ban on building supplies, no cement, metals or machinery allowed. So what is destroyed remains destroyed.

5. Just today, Israel bombed the head office for Associated Press and Al-Jazeera in Gaza. Being an occupied people means you have no freedom of press. Palestinians can only communicate through the internet, and Israel often shuts down the phone and internet services, usually during a bombing. As is happening now.

West Bank.

If you live in the West Bank, which was once a contiguous land mass, you are now separated from other towns and villages by new illegal Israeli settlements. These settlements are designed to break the West Bank into tiny pieces, until each one ceases to exist.

If you want to travel between towns or even some roads in the same town, you must go through Israeli checkpoints. These are designed to delay, humiliate and remind the Palestinians of their reality: they are an occupied people.

2020 Israeli checkpoints.

Checkpoints: 140

-There are over 700 road obstacles across the West Bank including 140 checkpoints.

-These checkpoints severely limit Palestinian movement.

-About 70,000 Palestinians with Israeli work permits cross these checkpoints in their daily commute.

Source: OCHA (2018)

These checkpoints often lead to many deaths, as ambulances are routinely stopped and prevented from going to hospitals.

West Bank, though technically Palestinian land, is dotted with Israeli settlements as mentioned. These settlers are usually the most extreme and will often attack Palestinians without provocation. Israeli police always support the settlers, and as land evictions become more common, more violence results on both sides.

'The Separation Barrier'

Once contentious, today a fact of life. Israel is building a wall that spans the border of the West Bank. Many call this a wall of segregation and apartheid. The international court of justice has said this barrier that literally turns the West Bank into a prison is in clear violation of international law.

The Berlin Wall, which was 96 miles long (155 kilometres). Israel's barrier, still under construction, is expected to reach at least 403 miles in length (650 kilometres). The average height of the Berlin Wall was 11.8 feet (3.6 metres), compared with the maximum current height of Israel's Wall- 25 feet (8 metres).

Israel's barrier is therefore planned to be four times as long and in places twice as high as the Berlin Wall.

The wall cuts straight into Palestinian West Bank territory, and has cut Palestinian lands in half, separated farms from farmers, and home owners from their homes. Under the guise of security, Israel has used the wall to steal more land.