The Arabs of Judea and Samaria Are Intensifying Efforts to Take Control of Lands

February 17, 2011
The Arabs of Judea and Samaria Are Intensifying Efforts to Take Control of Lands
by Hagai Huberman

[Posted in Hebrew on Arutz 7 and translated as a public service by
Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green)]

As part of the Palestinian plan to take control of [Area] C, the Arabs
are intensifying their activity on the lands in additional areas,
toward the unilateral establishment of a state

The assessment in Central Command is that in the coming months the
land disputes in Judea and Samaria between the Arabs and the Jewish
settlements in Judea and Samaria will increase, as part of the
Palestinian plan. A senior officer in the Central Command says that
the Arabs are intensifying their activity on the lands in Area C to
take control of additional areas, toward the unilateral establishment
of a Palestinian state in the summer.

Senior IDF officers define what is happening in the realm of lands in
Judea and Samaria as "competition" between the settlers and the Arabs:
who will seize more territory. The Palestinian policy, [sources] in
the defense system say, is based today on 6 principles:

The first - violence is out of bounds, The Palestinian security
systems are effectively fighting terror elements in Judea and Samaria,
in cooperation with the IDF and the GSS. And there are successes.

The second - that ensues from the first - war with Hamas is in the
interest of the Palestinian Authority, in order to prevent it from
recycling its success in the [Gaza] Strip in Judea and Samaria as
well, and from taking control of the territory as it did in the Gaza
District.

The third - maintaining international relations on the highest level,
including a serious investment of time and money in this, in order to
bring about international support for the unilateral declaration of a
Palestinian state. An investment has to be made in this. No
international support comes by itself. Every visit has to be done
properly, so they'll see governance and state building.

The fourth - maintaining law and order. In this area the [Israeli]
security system identifies phenomena that did not exist in the past.
The Authority is intensifying the observance of traffic laws: the ban
on using a cellular phone while driving, the wearing of seat belts.
The security system is flooded with reports of the maintaining of law
and order, at times with excessive harshness. Anyone who honks in
Manara Square in Ramallah receives a fine of 200 shekels.

The fifth - building a state for ourselves. This is not only Fayyad's
economic plan. In the Authority they are building all the institutions
of the "state in the making" today: courts, unprecedented
infrastructure projects in the spheres of education, health, etc. The
sixth principle states that all five of the preceding principles are
detached from the negotiations track with Israel. If there will be
negotiations that lead to a state - fine and well, If there are no
negotiations - we will continue to act unilaterally.

In contrast, [sources] in the [Israeli] security system note that
recently they identify in the Palestinian public voices critical of
the economic program of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. Recently, angry
voices were heard regarding the rise in the prices of vegetables. Even
the paucity of rain resulted in an economic problem: people simply
didn't buy winter clothing this year, and harmed the income of the
shopkeepers. In Ramallah the Palestinian Authority sought to help out
the inhabitants, and renovated a road. They apparently learned from
Israel, since at the beginning of the works a sign was erected at the
site that stated: "Here the road is being renovated with the financing
of the Palestinian Authority. The work will end on [the date]. Be
patient." But the workers didn't meet the original timetable, and the
public grumbled: Why were you late? This makes noise for us. We have
no patience.

The Authority, on its part, gives the public freedom, but enables it
to express its frustration only on topics that are within the
Palestinian consensus, such as the struggle in Bil'in against the
wall. This is in addition to further steps: one of the Palestinian
governors recently decided to have an open door to the public: whoever
has problems knocks on the door, goes in, and complains and requests.
This is a new procedure, that did not exist until now in the
Authority. The security system noted that the Palestinian Authority
frequently engages in regulation vis-a-vis the public. If you have a
problem of an illegal house, you call the Planning Department and
request the legalization of the house, so that it won't have any stain
of illegality. In northern Samaria they recently inaugurated the
connection of the village of Umm Reihan to the electric grid, with the
assistance of the Civil Administration. The main thing is that people
will be satisfied.