There is a very famous map of what used to be Palestine and what Palestine is now. Several frames in between show the increasing progression of Israel’s land grabs.
Israel claims to be the only party interested in the elusive “middle east peace process” and a genuine believer in the widely discredited two-state solution, but the map tells a very different story.
Israel continues evicting Palestinian families, demolishing or allowing illegal settlers to steal Palestinian homes and annexing the rapidly shrinking land that Palestinians are meant to build a state upon.
After US President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in 2018, Israel ramped up its efforts to connect outlying illegal settlements to the city.
A newly-opened road, Route 4370, connecting Jerusalem with northern, illegal settlements is a strategic piece of infrastructure, designed to make outlying, illegal settlements and the theft of the Palestinian land a permanent fact and a secure part of an expanded Israel.
Route 4370 allows illegal settlers easy access to Jerusalem. However, on the other side of the eight-metre high barrier that runs the full length of the road Palestinian drivers are denied access to the city.
Recent plans to build 4000 settler units in strategic areas around Jerusalem have been hailed by the city’s mayor, as a win for young couples. While young couples the world over are facing chronic housing stress, this is a housing scheme based on the theft of one community’s land and resources.
Read the article by Lisa Gleeson in Green Left Weekly.