The coronavirus crisis has brought a wave of illegal construction throughout Gush Etzion. A prime example is the new neighborhood near Nahalin, an Arab village situated in the valley between Rosh Tzurim and Beitar Ilit in Gush Etzion. This “neighborhood” has sprung up in the few short weeks since Civil Administration’s enforcement and oversight activities were slashed by 70%. In what is by no means a coincidence, this new “neighborhood” occupies an area slated for Israeli sovereignty under the US “deal of the century” peace plan.
The greatest health crisis in Israel’s history has given rise to another type of crisis, by opening a window of opportunity that the Palestinian Authority and others have used to their full advantage: In and around the Arab villages of the Gush Etzion area, the rate of illegal construction has exploded in recent weeks, as the Palestinian Authority races to establish facts on the ground before President Trump’s ‘Vision for Peace to Prosperity’ moves forward.
As a result of the slowdown of Israel’s economy, the Civil Administration’s inspection unit, which is responsible for law enforcement in Judea and Samaria, has been operating at only 30% of its normal capacity; these deep cuts have been in effect for months.
The Palestinian Authority and others actively engaged in illegal construction quickly identified the gap and have been using the corona-sponsored law enforcement void to launch a construction blitz. In the weeks since the corona shutdown began, a new neighborhood has sprung up outside the village of Nahalin, complete with residential buildings, a new electricity line, groundwork for additional construction, and a road to service the planned expansion.
The new neighborhood is the latest in a long line of Palestinian Authority projects designed to take control of the open spaces in Area C. These projects, funded by foreign countries, include a new road, from Nahalin heading southeast, and agricultural work such as terrace- building and tree-planting.
Several months ago, the Regavim Movement published an in-depth report on the “war of attrition” being waged in Area C. The report examines the results of the Palestinian Authority’s “Fayyad Plan,” its roadmap for the creation of a de facto Palestinian state. The Fayyad Plan targets key areas in the portion of Judea and Samaria placed under full Israeli jurisdiction by the Oslo Accords, and enumerates the methods through which facts on the ground – construction, agricultural projects, infrastructure development, roadworks and more – will carve out the State of Palestine. Regavim’s report documents tens of thousands of illegal structures built in “Area C,” in addition to agricultural land-grabs of thousands of acres.
“The Nahalin case is exemplifies the severe blow suffered by law enforcement efforts against corona-inspired illegal construction, as well as the Palestinian Authority’s race to seize control of key locations that are crucial elements of the Trump plan,” says Yishai Hemo, Regavim’s Field Coordinator for Judea and Samaria.
Reacting to this phenomenon, Shlomo Ne’eman, head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, sent an urgent appeal to Defense Minister Naftali Bennett, demanding the minister’s personal intervention.
“If immediate and urgent emergency measures are not taken to curb this carefully timed onslaught, in a few months we will find ourselves facing a new reality and we will be unable to turn the clock back,” Neeman wrote. “At this time, I have no choice but to demand your personal and immediate intervention in this matter. The supervisory unit’s staff and authority must be beefed up, and new emergency procedures must be established in order to contend with the special circumstances created by the corona crisis.”
