In anticipation of our President's upcoming visit to Israel, former deputy national security adviser Elliott Abrams published an article in the Washington Post this week arguing against any freeze on settlement expansion in the West Bank. He warns that doing so would not serve the cause of peace, and would simply create tension between the Obama administration and the new Israeli government of Benjamin Netinyahu.
Mr. Abrams claims in his article that “Israel has largely adhered to guidelines that allow for settlement growth in ways that minimize the impact on Palestinians”.
How Mr. Abrams came to this conclusion is interesting. Apparently if only the actual acreage on which Israeli settlements are built is subtracted from that which was formerly Palestinian land in the West Bank, outside the barrier wall, assuming that wall does not further subtract from the total, which it most assuredly does, then Israel has taken a mere 3% of Palestinian land in the West Bank.
Mr. Abrams overlooks the 723km of 'Jews only' bypass roads that connect settlements, and the 75 meter buffer zones that accompany those roads. He neglects to mention that the barrier wall snakes its way throughout the West Bank, separating Palestinians from their land, and leaving 35,000 families in an artificial 'no man's land, between the wall and the green line, requiring them to acquire permits to remain in their homes.
There is no mention of over 600 obstacles: trenches, checkpoints, earth walls, road blocks, road barriers, and gates, that Palestinians are forced to navigate just to get to and from work.
Nor does he mention that land already appropriated in the West Bank, a figure closer to 40% when all encroachments are considered, ensures that Israel now controls the Western Aquifer basin and hence, the major water supply for the region.
Why Mr. Abrams would write that “Israel has largely adhered to guidelines that allow for settlement growth in ways that minimize the impact on Palestinians” is explained, not by any facts on the ground, but rather by the fact that Elliott Abrams is a neoconservative ideologue with a history of unwavering support for Israel and a decidedly racist view of Arabs.
His appointment as deputy national security advisor for the Middle East by George W. Bush was controversial due to his conviction in 1991 on two misdemeanor counts of unlawfully withholding information from Congress during the Iran-Contra Affair. Working under Condoleezza Rice, Mr. Abrams was the shadow figure in charge of arming and training Fatah soldiers in Egypt, for the purpose of overthrowing Hamas in Gaza, a scheme that backfired and left Palestinians with split leadership.
Though Mr. Abrams will not face any criminal charges for fomenting civil war in Palestine, his advice on how best to bring about peace between Israelis and Palestinians should be taken with a hefty dose of skepticism.
