Zionist Terror. Fifty Years

Dear Stan, The occupation has been in place for 49 years. That’s 17,898 days. International law defines occupation as a temporary situation, but after nearly fifty years, the reality in the West Bank and Gaza can no longer be considered temporary. It is unreasonable to keep hoping that Israel will end this situation of its own volition. A third and even fourth generation of Palestinians and Israelis have known no other reality. In view of Israel’s policies over the past half century, a change in policy is highly unlikely.   In the paper “Reality check: Almost fifty years of occupation” we present a portrait of the current situation in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. In 1967, when the occupation first began, whoever lived on those lands shared the same status. Over the years, Israel has partitioned Palestinian land into separate areas, detached from one another: the Gaza Strip, which has been subject to the stranglehold of a nearly decade-long blockade is on the very cusp of a humanitarian disaster; the West Bank has been split up into dozens of segments, some of which have been transferred - in name only - to the Palestinian Authority; and thousands of hectares have been annexed to Israel and declared a part of Jerusalem. Yet, none of this can change the fact that Israel continues to control millions of Palestinians and dictate the course of their lives, while they have no real power to influence their fate. The facts outlined in this paper are well-known, as is their significance. Equally well-known is the significance of standing idly by: a perpetuation of the current situation. As the fiftieth year of the occupation begins, determined action is needed to clearly demonstrate the termination of local and international cooperation with the occupation. Adv. Yael Stein Research Director, B'Tselem P.S: If you haven't already, I encourage you to read Chairman David Zonsheine's op-ed in Haaretz "Why B’Tselem Is Disengaging From the Israeli Military".