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Israeli policies and practices in the West Bank and Gaza have Fatah, the largest group, and has been PLO Chairman since 1968. included extensive use of collective punishments such as curfews, The other major groups are the Popular Front for the Liberation of house demolitions and closure of roads, schools and community Palestine (PFLP), the Democratic Front for the Liberation of institutions. Palestine (DFLP) and, in the occupied territories, the Palestine Hundreds of Palestinian political activists have been deported to People's Party (PPP, formerly the Communist Party). Jordan or Lebanon, tens of thousands of acres of Palestinian land Despite factional differences, the majority of Palestinians regard have been confiscated, and thousands of trees have been uprooted. the PLO as their representative. Since 1967, over 300,000 Palestinians have been imprisoned In the 1960s, the PLO's primary base of operations was Jordan. without trial, and over half a million have been tried in the Israeli In 1970-71, fighting with the Jordanian Army drove the PLO lead- military court system. Torture of Palestinian prisoners has been a ership out of the country, forcing it to relocate to Lebanon. When common practice since at least 1971, and dozens of people have the Lebanese civil war started in 1975, the PLO became a party in died in detention from abuse or neglect. Israeli officials have the conflict. After the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, the claimed that harsh measures and high rates of imprisonment are PLO leadership was expelled from the country, this time relocating necessary to thwart terrorism. According to Israel, Palestinian to Tunisia. terrorism includes all forms of opposition to the occupation Until 1993, Israel did not acknowledge Palestinian national rights (including non-violence). or recognise the Palestinians as an independent party to the conflict. Israel has built hundreds of settlements and permitted hundreds Israel refused to negotiate with the PLO, arguing that it was noth- of thousands of its own Jewish citizens to move to the West Bank _ing but a terrorist organisation, and insisted on dealing only with and Gaza, despite the fact that this constitutes a breach of interna- Jordan or other Arab states. It rejected the establishment of a tional law. Palestinian state, insisting that Israel has justified the violation of the Palestinians should be incorporated into Fourth Geneva Convention and other the existing Arab states. international laws governing military Since 1967, over 300,000 This intransigence ended when occupation of foreign territory on the Israeli representatives entered into grounds that the West Bank and the . Palestinians have been secret negotiations with the PLO, Gaza Strip are not technically "occu- imprisoned without trial, and which led to the Oslo Declaration of pied" because they were never part of one Principles. the sovereign territory of any state. over half a million have been prerefore, according to this interpreta- tried in the Israeli military RESOLUTION 240 ion, Israel is not a foreign "occupier but a legal "administrator" of territory court system. Torture of After the 1967 War, the United whose status remains to be determined. Palestinian prisoners has been Nations Security Council adopted The international community has Resolution 242, which notes the rejected the Israeli official position that a common practice since "inadmissability of the acquisition of the West Bank and Gaza are not occu- at least 1971... territory by force" and calls for Israeli pied and has maintained that interna- withdrawal from lands seized in the tional law should apply there. But little war and the right of all states in the effort has been mounted to enforce international law or hold Israel account- area to peaceful existence within secure and recognised boundaries. able for the numerous violations it has engaged in since 1967. The grammatical construction of the French version of Resolution 242 says Israel should withdraw from "the territories", JERUSALEM whereas the English version of the text calls for withdrawal from The UN partition plan advocated that Jerusalem become an inter- "territories". (Both English and French are official languages of the national zone, independent of both the proposed Jewish and — United Nations.) Israel and the United States use the English ver- Palestinian Arab states. sion to argue that Israeli withdrawal from some, but not all, the ter- In the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, Israel took control of the western ritory occupied in the 1967 war satisfies the requirements of this part of Jerusalem, while Jordan took the eastern part including the resolution. old walled city containing important Jewish, Muslim and Christian For many years, the Palestinians rejected Resolution 242 because religious sites. The 1949 armistice line cut the city in two. In June it does not acknowledge their right to national self-determination or 1967, Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan and almost to return to their homeland. It calls only for a just settlement of the immediately annexed it. It reaffirmed its annexation in 1981. refugee problem. Israel regards Jerusalem as its "eternal capital". Arabs consider By calling for recognition of every state in the area, Resolution East Jerusalem part of the occupied West Bank and want it to be 242 entailed unilateral Palestinian recognition of Israel without the capital of a Palestinian state. recognition of Palestinian national rights. Since 1967, over 300,000 Palestinians have been imprisoned without trial, and over half a million have been tried in the Israeli military court system. Torture of Palestinian Prisoners | has been —-- -at— a common practice since at least 1971... JERUSALEM The UN partition plan advocated that Jerusalem become an inter- national zone, independent of both the proposed Jewish and Palestinian Arab states. In the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, Israel took control of the western part of Jerusalem, while Jordan took the eastern part including the old walled city containing important Jewish, Muslim and Christian religious sites. The 1949 armistice line cut the city in two. In June 1967, Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan and almost immediately annexed it. It reaffirmed its annexation in 1981. Israel regards Jerusalem as its "eternal capital". Arabs consider East Jerusalem part of the occupied West Bank and want it to be the capital of a Palestinian state. THE PALESTINE LIBERATION ORGANIZATION (PLO) The Arab League established the Palestinian Liberation Organization in 1964 as an effort to control Palestinian nationalism while appearing to champion the cause. The Arab defeat in the 1967 War enabled younger, more militant Palestinians to take over the PLO and gain some independence from the Arab regimes. The PLO includes different political and armed groups with varying ideological orientations. Yasir Arafat is the leader of THE OCTOBER 1973 WAR After coming to power in Egypt in late 1970, President Anwar Sadat indicated to UN envoy Gunnar Jarring that he was willing to sign a peace agreement with Israel in exchange for the return of Egyptian territory (the Sinai Peninsula) lost in 1967. When this overture was ignored by Israel and the United States, Egypt and Syria decided to act to break the political stalemate. They attacked Israeli forces in the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights in 24 ¢ NEXUS JUNE - JULY 2002 www.nexusmagazine.com