Israeli Settlements are main obstacle to Peace

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert continues to allow the Israeli Housing Ministry to construct illegal Israeli settlements for some 400,000 settlers on occupied Palestinian lands in Israeli occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Even constructing settlements on the 1949 armistice lines. Since Israel captured and occupied the Palestinian territories from Jordan in the West Bank and Egypt in Gaza Strip on June 6, 1967, the government has allowed orthodox citizens, recent immigrants and more fanatical religious students and their families to buy cheaper government approved housing in Israeli settlements across the occupied Palestinian territories including the Jordan Valley built since the Six Day of 67. In Hebron, home to 100+ fanatical deeply religious settlers, biblical passages are used to justify living inside settlements on occupied Palestinian lands, Palestinians hold land deeds to property used by settlements. Settlers and settlements enjoy privileges denied to all Palestinians because of the Intifada, terrorism and Israels constant state of emergency. Among the privileges are Jewish only settler bypass roads and freeways connecting to roads inside Israel proper and Tel Aviv and protection by the IDF from Palestinian protesters and demonstrations no matter how much non-violence Palestinians use to protest the Security Wall or Separation Barrier inside the West Bank. More than 40\% of the West Bank is off limit to Palestinians, home demolitions happen frequently and have become a literal Swiss cheese territory with 621+ Israeli military checkpoints at the entrances to most Palestinian cities, towns and villages and closed Israeli military controlled Jordan Valley. Article 49 of the Geneva Convention states, Article 49 (1) insists that "Individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory to the territory of the Occupying Power or to that of any other country, occupied or not, are prohibited, regardless of their motive" and Article 49(6) insists that "The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies."

The continual construction in the largest Israeli settlement blocs of Ma'ale Adummim, Modiin Illit, Ariel, Gush Etzion, Pisgat Givat ringed around East Jerusalem is illegal by International Law, Amnesty International, the World Court, Human Rights Watch, European Union and U.S. both are members of the Middle East Quartet) and numerous countries outside the Middle East and North Africa. It also hampers the creation of a viable Palestinian state or independent Palestine on its internationally accepted 1967 borders. Despite violating International Law and demeaning the occupied territories, the Israeli government has granted city status to most of the above settlements and smaller communities behind the 1949 Armistice line. Some Israeli political parties among them the right wing Shas Party constantly threatening withdrawing from Olmerts shaky government coalition if compromises are made on Jerusalem, politicians as Benyamin Netanyahu have argued that the settlements with city status can not be dismantled but incorporated into Israel in any final peace deal. Israeli authorities, religious leaders across Israel and even talk show hosts, organizations and religious personalities i.e. John Hagee and AIPAC within the U.S., (often staunch supporters of such Israeli government policies) who are pro-settlement and refuse little or no Israeli compromise for peace with the Palestinians, have declared the settlements as facts on the ground that cannot be changed. Facts on the ground is also used by some government officials and personalities as prove that East Jerusalem must remain part of the undivided and eternal capital Israel often omitting its occupation and illegal annexation. Even Israeli legal council Theodore Meron advising the Israeli Foreign Ministry concluded and warned in 1967, (sometime after the Six Day war) that the settlements in East Jerusalem and West Bank and until 2005 Gaza Strip contradicted International Law. If the same were being said about China building illegal Chinese settlements in Tibet there would be a massive uproar. The Israeli settlements were built on privately own Palestinian lands, across the Palestinian territories and large water aquifers from which the West Bank receives must of its water. Most of the West Bank water goes to all the settlements and even small settler communities spread across the West Bank, leaving ordinary Palestinians with limited and rationed water supplies for three days of the week. Settlement construction crisscrossing the West Bank and East Jerusalem has destroyed Palestinian agriculture and disrupted the livelihoods and incomes of rural towns and villages. Many settlements are built on strategic West Bank and East Jerusalem hilltops, over uprooted olive trees, and destroyed orchards. Olive trees are not only universal symbols of peace, but coincidentally a source of income for Palestinian families, local olive oil businesses and farmers in East Jerusalem, its surrounding areas and the West Bank. Without the olive trees to harvest, Palestinians in rural towns and villages wont receive income or produce olive oil to sell in local markets.

The Security Wall or Separation Barrier sometimes referred to as the Apartheid Wall, is another obstacle on Palestinian land. The Israeli government has justified the wall by legally claiming it provides Israel proper, especially central Israel, Tel Aviv and neighboring regions and illegal settlements with security from terrorism. However, the UN, World Court, Desmond Tutu and Jimmy carter have concluded that the Wall has caused destruction for Palestinians living in occupied East Jerusalem and West Bank. Palestinians living in the West Bank work, having family and go to school inside occupied East Jerusalem within Israel. With the wall separating them from their jobs, their source of income will continue to lower. Elementary and university students will have to take longer routes to school thus making them late to class. The wall is 24 feet high and there is no other way around it. For West Bank Palestinians, it use take them only forty-five minutes with manned, mobile and armed Israeli military checkpoints included to reach Jerusalem and other towns near the West Bank-Israel border. Now it takes two hours at the most for many West Bank residents to travel into Israel. Yet, the Israeli army or Israeli Defense Force (IDF) continues to patrol along the wall and observe the construction of large Israeli settlements and blocs across the border on the West Banks 1949 Armistice line and Green line. To construct the rest of the Security Wall which cuts through neighborhoods and houses belonging to West Bank and East Jerusalem Palestinians, the land needs to be cleared. Olive trees are uprooted with cranes, houses, included some that were built more than fifty years ago, are demolished or smashed to pieces by bulldozers and cranes. Orchards grown by Palestinians containing lemons, oranges and strawberries are torn to shreds. Both Palestinians and Israeli activists have protested the destruction of homes and olive trees along the walls construction line. The wall literally towers of Palestinians and their livelihoods. It also towers over Palestinians cities and towns such as Bethlehem, Qalqilya, Jenin, Bilin, Abu Dis, Tulkarm, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Biddu, Beit Liqya, Hebron and Nabulus. Artists from around the world have written message of peace along this wall. This wall no longer becomes a security wall by this point it is a separation wall. The construction should not be allowed to continue, it has been condemn by the World Court and the rest of the world as a whole. The World Court and UN have reiterated for the past 5 years since 2003 when the wall was built, it should be torn down and replaced with olive trees, orchards and vegetable gardens. The wall only provokes outrage and anger spilling into more violence. Its obvious here the consequences of the Berlin Wall and its haunting lessons have not been learned. As its often said again and again history repeats itself one more.

East Jerusalem has been under Israeli occupation for four decades and 41 years since the 1967 Six Day War. Israeli soldiers are constantly restricting freedom of movement for Palestinians here and along the West Bank border. Palestinians have to wait in long lines at military checkpoints as well, for hours at a time. At the Al Aqsa Mosque compound next to the Western Wall, is guarded by Israeli soldiers often resulting in clashes. Israeli settlers have continued to move into settlements and the large blocs in occupied East Jerusalem on the border with the West Bank. The largest of the settlements Ma'ale Adummim, has continued its current construction on the orders of the Prime Ministers approval for new housing. Ma'ale Adummim is expected to be annexed to the Israel proper. However, along with the large settlement blocs, Israel calls facts on the ground some 10-12\% of Palestinian land will be incorporated into Israel proper despite UN Resolution 242 and Geneva Convention ruling occupied land transfers as illegal regardless of government reasoning or settlers claim. As the UN has reiterated for the past 41 years alonside diplomats and critical public figures such as Jimmy Carter, Desmond Tutu and The largest settlements around East Jerusalem, along with settlers communities inside Hebron and the West Bank interior receiving water, resources and electricity should all be dismantled as opposed to only 166 settlements built since March, 2000 before the second Intifada. All settlers should be repatriated back to Israel proper and behind within Israel's pre-1967 borders. And all the resources used by the settlers should be transferred to Palestinian cities and towns that needed it the most. In keeping with UN Resolution 242 and Geneva Convention, all the settlements including the large blocs need to be removed along with the security wall to allow the Palestinians freedom from military checkpoints and freedom of movement. The Israeli settlers of in East Jerusalem and West Bank are some of the cause of military presents and restrictions imposed on Palestinians. The soldiers have a right to guard the settlements from militants, protestors, etc. However, these settlements have been built illegally on occupied land for 41 years and should have never been approved for construction by Israeli government and housing ministry in the first place. Palestinians can not travel in the areas were settlers live, even if the settlement is near their homes, which has happen many times, Palestinians are forbidden to go near any settlements.

Disclaimer, this petition is not against the Israeli people, nor is it anti-semetic. There are in fact many Jewish, Palestinian, Israeli, joint Palestinian-Israeli, American and International groups and Organizations working for Peace. Among them are" Jewish Voices for Peace, Gush Shalom, Israeli Committee Against House demoliations, Churches for Middle East Peace, Foundation for Middle East Peace, Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, Maysoon's Kids, Jews Against Occupation, Midle East International Solidaraty Movement (ISM), etc. The Petiton is not against any of the organizations, groups and persons working nonstop for peace in non-violent and reconcillaratory ways. It's argument is aimed at the Israeli government and its policies that collectively punish ordinary Palestinians who only want peace and to live ordinary lives without the prolonged conflict. And resembles eery actions of the old colonial powers France and Britain that originally divided the Middle East.