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Forever young
I want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever?
Forever, and ever
When we were young, we sang along to this song with a deep conviction that its lyrics would somehow come true. But this didn’t happen.
I want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever?
Forever, and ever
When we were young, we sang along to this song with a deep conviction that its lyrics would somehow come true. But this didn’t happen.
Meaning, it didn’t happen to us. But some of our acquaintences in the occupied Palestinian territories seem to have had better luck. Here’s a short post about people who managed to outwit time, and stay young forever.
Last week, the government announced its intention to “regulate,” or make official, the status of five settlements in the territories that fall under the category of “young,” or new, settlement: Avnat, Kedem Arava, Tel Zion...
and the outposts Asael and Avigayil, both in the South Hebron Hills.
Ariel Kahana, the political correspondent for the “newspaper” @IsraelHayomEng, even informed his readers that in the past, these two outposts in the South Hebron Hills had been “Nahal outposts”.
Ariel Kahana, the political correspondent for the “newspaper” @IsraelHayomEng, even informed his readers that in the past, these two outposts in the South Hebron Hills had been “Nahal outposts”.
(Nahal is a military brigade).
With no desire to challenge Mr. Kahana’s professional authority, today we’ll try to shed some light on this issue.
Kahana’s article in Hebrew: https://bit.ly/3pti0mT
With no desire to challenge Mr. Kahana’s professional authority, today we’ll try to shed some light on this issue.
Kahana’s article in Hebrew: https://bit.ly/3pti0mT
Let’s start from the end: contrary to Kahana’s report in Israel Hayom, the illegal outposts of Asael and Avigayil were never Nahal outposts. These two outposts were founded in late 2001, that is, almost twenty years ago, for the purpose of taking over open land south of Hebron.
We have written a number of posts about Avigayil here in the past--here’s a link to the most recent one:
https://twitter.com/nabothVin/status/1330865858554552325?s=20
Let’s go back in time for a moment to two decades ago, to better understand the context in which the two outposts were founded.
https://twitter.com/nabothVin/status/1330865858554552325?s=20
Let’s go back in time for a moment to two decades ago, to better understand the context in which the two outposts were founded.
At the end of 2000, the Second Intifada broke out. These two outposts were established as part of the second wave of outposts that took place in 2001-2003, which were the bloodiest years of the Intifada, during which about 50 outposts were founded.
At the time, the logic behind establishing these outposts was simple: violence on the streets west of the Green Line made for the perfect time to take over vast areas of land east of the Green Line.
About a year and a half later, on May 25th, 2003...
About a year and a half later, on May 25th, 2003...
...Government Resolution #293 was passed (under Ariel Sharon’s administration) that stated, among other things: “Today, the Israeli government confirmed the actions laid out in the ‘Road Map”...The Israeli government expresses its hope that the political process...
this will initiate, in accordance with President George Bush’s speech on June 24th, 2002, will lead to security, peace, and reconciliation between Israel and the Palestinians”.
Resolution #293 in Hebrew: https://bit.ly/2YmTwjj
Resolution #293 in Hebrew: https://bit.ly/2YmTwjj
By the way, some of you might be surprised to learn that the Minister of Finance at the time in the government that made this decision was Benjamin Netanyahu.
Many are likely wondering, what is this “road map” and how is it related to “young settlement”?
Many are likely wondering, what is this “road map” and how is it related to “young settlement”?
In April 2003, former U.S. president George Bush published a plan entitled: “A Performance-Based Roadmap to a Permanent Two-State Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.” The objective of the plan, as articulated by its initiators, was: “aiming at progress through...
...reciprocal steps by the two parties in the political, security, economic, humanitarian, and institution-building fields ... The destination is a final and comprehensive settlement of the Israel-Palestinian conflict by 2005”.
"Road Map": https://bit.ly/3cl2E04
"Road Map": https://bit.ly/3cl2E04
Bush’s plan was divided into three phases, in which both parties would be required to implement certain actions, and refrain from undertaking others. In regard to settlements, Israel was obligated to the following two commitments:
• Government of Israel immediately dismantles settlement outposts erected since March 2001.
• Consistent with the Mitchell Report, GOI freezes all settlement activity (including natural growth of settlements).
• Consistent with the Mitchell Report, GOI freezes all settlement activity (including natural growth of settlements).
You may wonder, what has actually happened since, regarding these two commitments?
• Not a single outpost has been evacuated at the initiative of the Israeli government. In fact, the number of outposts has grown by about fifty.
• Not a single outpost has been evacuated at the initiative of the Israeli government. In fact, the number of outposts has grown by about fifty.
• Israel has since built thousands of housing units in settlements, established a new settlement out of nothing, and has legalized or is trying to legalize dozens of additional outposts.
But why go as far as the road map?
But why go as far as the road map?
Check out the letter that came out of the Israeli Minister of Defense’s office regarding the young outpost of Avigayil a few days after it was established in October 2001:
“...the residents were asked to evacuate themselves from this spot today, in the event that they do not evacuate themselves, the army will evacuate them tomorrow.”
Well, the “residents” did not “evacuate themselves.”
Well, the “residents” did not “evacuate themselves.”
But they haven’t been in suspense that the “army will evacuate them tomorrow” for some time now, since today they are part of the trend of “young settlement”.
Decades have passed since Israel began establishing outposts for the purpose of undermining the Oslo Accords,
Decades have passed since Israel began establishing outposts for the purpose of undermining the Oslo Accords,
...which it signed with the PLO.
Rabin is dead.
Arafat is dead.
Sharon is dead.
Saeb Erakat is dead.
Abu Mazen is getting on in years.
And even the Minister of Finance from Sharon’s government is already over seventy.
Rabin is dead.
Arafat is dead.
Sharon is dead.
Saeb Erakat is dead.
Abu Mazen is getting on in years.
And even the Minister of Finance from Sharon’s government is already over seventy.
Only the residents of the “young settlements” continue to live as they did in the old days, without water and without electricity. Good thing that Michael Bitton and Omer Yankelevich from Blue and White party have their back.
