That's not my headline. It's from Haaretz, and it is explosive. First, a short summary- Israel has an extensive database showing settlement construction, private AND PUBLIC, was illegally conducted on private Palestinian property. Next, a question. Is this all a coincidence? Or is the timing of Haaretz getting this information more than that? Just after Gaza, right before the election, and pretty much as Mitchell touches down in Tel Aviv.
My suspicion? Israel might actually be looking for an end game that involves pulling settlements out, dealing with Fatah, and marginalizing Hamas to the point of irrelevancy, IF THEY CAN. Is that what this whole thing was all about? I don't know. Neither do you. But I can say this much- It's going to a darned interesting few days.
Oh, and for those of you who are confused that I am the one reporting this, well, I never actually considered I/P on Daily Kos to be a team sport.
and now, with no further ado, selected bits and pieces:
Secret Israeli database reveals full extent of illegal settlement
By Uri Blau
Just four years ago, the defense establishment decided to carry out a seemingly elementary task: establish a comprehensive database on the settlements. ...One of the main reasons for this effort was the need to have credible and accessible information at the ready to contend with [legal challenges to] construction in the settlements and the use of private lands to establish or expand them.
...The official database, the most comprehensive one of its kind ever compiled in Israel about the territories, was recently obtained by Haaretz. ...An analysis of the data reveals that, in the vast majority of the settlements - about 75 percent...construction has been carried out without the appropriate permits or contrary to the permits that were issued. ...in more than 30 settlements, extensive construction...has been carried out on private lands belonging to Palestinian West Bank residents.
[thanks JimP for the editing suggestion]
...
The data, it should be stressed, do not refer only to the illegal outposts (information about which was included in the well-known report authored by attorney Talia Sasson and published in March 2005), but to the very heart of the settlement enterprise. ...
...
On Misheknot Haro'im Street in the Kochav Yaakov settlement, a young mother is carrying her two children home. "I've lived here for six years," she says, sounding surprised when told that her entire neighborhood was built upon private Palestinian land. "I know that there's some small area in the community that is in dispute, but I never heard that this is private land." Would she have built her home on this land had she known this from the start? "No," she answers. "I wouldn't have kicked anyone out of his home."
Not far away, at the settlement's large and unkempt trailer site, which is also built on private land, a young newlywed couple is walking to the bus stop: 21-year-old Aharon and his 19-year-old wife, Elisheva. They speak nearly perfect Hebrew despite having grown up in the United States and having settled permanently in Israel just a few months ago, after Aharon completed his army service in the ultra-Orthodox Nahal unit. ... Aharon doesn't look upset when he hears that his trailer sits on private land. It doesn't really interest him. "I don't care what the state says, the Torah says that the entire Land of Israel is ours." And what will happen if they're told to move to non-private land? "We'll move," he says without hesitation.
...
The Civil Administration, which was first asked for a response regarding the database more than a month ago, has yet to reply.
There's a lot more, a hell of a lot more. There is also a link to the actual database, but it's in Hebrew.
Umm, wow. I mean, just freakin' wow.
I realize this is now going to turn into yet another giant piss-fest, but in between the accusations and counter-accusations, I would be really curious to see if people think this is an end-game gambit by Israel.
Tell me what you think.
I would make it a lot longer, but (a) the story pretty much speaks for itself, and (b) I've got a sick kid to run home to. I'll check back in when I get home.