Talking Points

AHLC Meeting, London

2 May 2008

Political process

•  Annapolis set in motion two tracks for resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict:

1.  the resumption of negotiations on all core issues with the goal of reaching an agreement with a view to striking a deal by the end of 2008; and
2.  immediate implementation of both parties? Road Map obligations to generate immediate, tangible improvements on the ground.

Much to our regret, five months on, there has been very little to no progress on either track due in large measure to lack of good faith on the Israeli side. Nonetheless, we, Palestinians, remain committed to the peaceis process.

•  The international community underwrote this process with overwhelming financial generosity to support Palestinian efforts of state-building. What is needed now is for the international community to match its financial investment with an equally strong, and  concerted, and concrete political efforts investment to ensure that Israel engages meaningfully in this process.

•  Key among Israel?s Road Map obligations is a settlement freeze. Regrettably, Israel continues to build settlement houses, roads and other infrastructure everywhere in the West Bank, particularly in East Jerusalem.
  •  Continued settlement activity erodes the credibility of the peace process. President Abbas cannot credibly negotiate an end to the conflict while Israel continues to take measures that undermine negotiations by unilaterally prejudging and imposing ?facts on the ground?.
  •  It also raises serious doubts as to how much longer the two-state solution will be a viable option purely on a technical level.
  •  erodes the credibility of the peace process. President Abbas cannot credibly negotiate an end to the conflict while Israel continues to take measures that undermine negotiations.

•  As intended by the Road Map, settlement freeze must include an end to all: (1) settlement and settlement-related construction; (2) subsidies and economic incentives for settlements and settlers; (3) planning and authorizations for settlements; (4) land confiscations, home demolitions and other property destruction; and (5) migration of settlers into the OPT. In addition, the freeze must apply to all Palestinian territory occupied by Israel in 1967, including East Jerusalem, and remain in effect until the implementation of a permanent status agreement.

•  Meanwhile, my government is making genuine and concerted efforts to fulfil its governance and security obligations under the Road Map and to lead our people to statehood. We have a ways to go, but we are working very hard, and ? as third parties have noted ? we have had several positive results. Regrettably, Israel continues to act in ways that it knows undermines our security efforts and erodes our credibility with our people.

Facts and Figures

AHLC Meeting, London

2 May 2008

A.  Settlement Construction

Construction

•  Construction has continued in at least 101 settlements (not incl. Jerusalem-area settlements).
•  The Israeli government began construction on at least 294 settlement housing units in the three months after Annapolis (not incl. Jerusalem-area settlements or private construction), nearly 3 times more than during the three-month period before Annapolis (109 starts).

SOURCE: Israeli Ministry of Construction and Housing

Building permits

•  At least 250 building permits were issued for private construction in West Bank settlements (not incl. Jerusalem-area settlements) in the first two months after Annapolis.1

Tenders

•  Since the Annapolis Conference, Israeli authorities have tendered 847 new housing units (as compared with 138 housing units tendered in the 11 months prior to Annapolis).

1.  Settler population

•  Between Camp David and Annapolis, the settler population increased by 100,000. We cannot afford to wait another 8 years for an opportunity to end the occupation.

C.  Outposts

•  Of the approximately 110 settlement outposts in the West Bank, 58 of which were established since March 2001, only five have been dismantled since Annapolis.2   

D.  The Wall

•  The current route of the Wall is 755 km ? more than twice the length of the 1967 boundary (320 km).

E.  Road closures

•  As of April 24, Israel had established at least 600 checkpoints and roadblocks throughout the West Bank.3

F.  House demolitions

•  Israeli authorities demolished at least 185 Palestinian structures, including 85 residential structures, in the first four months after Annapolis.4 

•  Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes in the Jerusalem area have more than tripled in recent years.

G.  Settlements impact

•  Palestinians from the West Bank require permits to visit the six specialist hospitals inside Jerusalem. The time and difficulty this entails has resulted in an up to 50% drop in the number of patients visiting these hospitals.5

•  Of the 33,000 students and 2,000 teachers in East Jerusalem schools, as many as 6,000 pupils and more than 650 teachers face difficulties reaching their schools.6

SOURCE: NSU-NAD

H.  Attacks on Palestinians (Annapolis ? 15 March)

•  Killings ? 358 Palestinians (Palestinian Monitoring Group (PMG))
  •  Injuries ? 1,200 Palestinians (PMG)
  •  Arrests ? More than 2,000 (PMG)