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50.0%ANMag Issue 24 Public Surveillance
Annapolis: Future for Peace: Analyzing the Failed Israeli/Palestinian Peace Process
By Vanessa Zuabi, Staff Writer
Orange County, California − The peace negotiations between the Palestinians, Israelis and sixteen Arab countries throughout the region received mixed reactions from people throughout the world. The intention of the Annapolis conference was to establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel. Optimists are hoping that Annapolis will be the next “giant step” towards peace but many are doubtful. After a series of failed negotiations including Oslo in 1993, Oslo Interim Accord II in 1995 and Camp David in 2000, many believe that Annapolis will only be another failed attempt to add to the list.
Unfortunately, as the situation between Palestinians and Israelis continues to deteriorate, a failed peace attempt at Annapolis could worsen the situation. Right wing parties seem unwilling to compromise during this time of negotiations, and many fear that a resolution to create a Palestinian state could cause unrest in the streets of Israel. On the other hand, lack of hope among the majority of the population has led many to remain unperturbed at the notion that any form of compromise will actually be sustained following Annapolis.
Both sides seem certain that Annapolis will not provide the state Palestinians want, which would end and demolish all Israeli settlements, hand back East Jerusalem and establish full-fledged sovereignty. Such a compromise was made even more difficult in 1999 when parliament passed a law requiring a 2/3 majority vote in order to hand over East Jerusalem and/or the Golan Heights to Syria. The questions remains now, will peace negotiations suffice in bringing about peace between Palestinians and Israelis?
In order to answer this question, one must assess the reasons that the Israeli occupation has continued and whether or not these factors can be overcome. The main factors affecting the extension of the occupation in the West Bank and Gaza are security, ideology, economics and water resources. The ideology and belief that Jews must inhabit all of greater Zion (which extends to the Jordan River if not farther and requires the expulsion of the Arabs), has led many right wing conservatives to establish settlements.
Israeli settlements are also inhabited by those taking advantage of the “cheap housing” benefits offered to those who choose to live in the West Bank. Many of those seeking house subsidies are American and come to start a new life where they can receive plots of land that are paid for by the Israeli government. Currently, the West Bank houses over half a million Israeli settlers. This number continues to grow.
Secondly, the occupation of the West Bank is largely driven by economic motivations. The occupation provides necessary means to fuel a multi-billion dollar defense industry in Israel providing a huge boost for Israel which supplies weapons and arms to countries throughout the world. Moreover, it provides Israeli industry with a source of cheap labor. By providing Palestinians with very little access to anything, including work or food, it creates a dependency situation where Palestinians living in the West Bank are forced to work for Israel or starve. This generates an extreme imbalance between Palestinians and their Israeli counterparts, thus making prospects towards peace negotiations extremely difficult.
Water remains at the center of the Palestinian/Israeli peace negotiations particularly because drought has severely affected all access to water. Israel’s main water supply includes the Jordan River Basin including Lake Galilee, and two major water aqueducts, one which extends from the West Bank into Israel and the other extending through the Gaza Strip into Israel. It is not only a decade long drought that contributes to the severe water shortage currently being experience in Israel, but the almost 1.5 million new Jewish immigrants that have flooded Israel’s borders, as well as the agricultural industry in Israel that consumes 80% of the country’s water resources. This leaves little for the Palestinians. Currently, Palestinian water consumption is significantly below that recommended by the World Health Organization. Water negotiations discussed in the Oslo II Interim Agreement of 1995 were supposed to provide a framework for more equal distribution of water resources that are abundant in the West Bank but are allocated primarily to Israel settlers located in the settlements there. For example, in 2003, Kiryat Arba an Israeli settlement of 5,000 people received the same amount of water as the Palestinian city of Hebron that has a population of 170,000 people.
How does water prevent a possible solution towards peace? By establishing a legitimate sovereign Palestinian state alongside Israel, water resources would have to be divided equally at best, thereby further decreasing the limited water Israel is able to control. By continuing the occupation, Israel is able to maintain its monopoly over the areas water supply.
These factors are the difficult realities that must be faced when settling peace negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis. After almost two decades of failed attempts, solutions to ending the occupation and creating a viable two-state solution are running slim. While peace is in the best interest of both Israelis and Palestinians, both for the sake of security, stability and peace of mind, issues over ideology, natural resources and economic incentives are difficult problems to resolve. The Palestinians have been left in a position with little wiggling room, and many decisions have been left to the whim of the Israelis. These grounds will not produce the necessary foundation for a realistic future and will only generate further resentment on both sides.
Krouzman, Roni. “21st Century Palestine: Towards a Swiss Cheese State?” Middle East Report No. 213. Winter 1999. pg. 38-40.
BBCNews. “World: Middle east Israel: future land hand-vers in Golan and Jerusalem made tougher.” January 26, 1999.
Bowen, Jeremy. Analysis: After Annapolis. BBCNews. December 4, 2007.
Rowyer, Alwyn. Basic Needs versus Swimming Pools: Water Inequality and the Palestinian/Israeli Conflict. Middle East Report No. 227. Summer 2003 pg. 2-7.