The Changing Character of Israel's Occupation: Planning and Civilian Control

Abstract:     
Israel’s occupation of the West Bank is literally changing before our eyes. What began as a form of military control with marginal, messianic undertones, has transformed into a full-fledged sovereign endeavour, which has two central pillars. The first relates to the Palestinian population, and aims to restrict their access to land and to development in the West bank. The second focuses on the seam between Jews and Palestinians, and may be termed the policy of separation

Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, and its effective control over the Gaza Strip, has passed the 40 year mark. Currently, it is the longest standing occupation in the world. Israel has existed over the twice the time as an occupying power than it has within internationally recognized borders. Within this significant time frame, Palestinian civil society is controlled by a foreign power not only in security related aspects that seem highly related to a situation of occupation, such as bearing arms. Increasingly, Israel has changed the measures and intensity of civilian aspects of life, such as employment, freedom to travel and planning and development. The surge of the settlement project over the past 15 years has raised the stakes insofar as Israel’s interests are concerned, leading to a change in planning policy for Palestinians and for Israelis. Through land and planning policy, Palestinians development and movement are restricted and separated from Israelis and from Jewish settlers.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 28

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