Opinion

Sovereignty and enforcement

The extension of Israeli sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria is all the more important in light of the chaos and lawlessness that are taking all meaning out of Israeli control of the lands in question.

The Palestinian Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar, in Judea and Samaria, on Sept. 21, 2018. Photo by Yaniv Nadav/Flash90.
The Palestinian Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar, in Judea and Samaria, on Sept. 21, 2018. Photo by Yaniv Nadav/Flash90.
Dr. Yechiel Shabiy
Yechiel Shabiy

In recent weeks, a struggle has taken place between supporters and opponents of the extension of Israeli sovereignty over portions of Judea and Samaria. Some believe the measure will spark an Arab uprising, an international pressure campaign against Israel, and boycotts. Others claim that applying sovereignty to about 30 percent of Judea and Samaria is not only essential but does not go far enough.

However, if we look at the current state of affairs in Judea and Samaria, we find that Israeli “sovereignty” is devoid of meaning. The situation on the ground is utter chaos. The prevailing anarchy and accompanying complete loss of deterrence are apparent in many aspects:

• Under the cover of firecrackers, set off to celebrate various festivities (most recently passing matriculation exams), Palestinians in the region habitually shoot at neighboring Israeli localities while the Israeli authorities turn a blind eye to this dangerous, criminal practice. This willful ignorance must stop on both the municipal and the national levels.

• Pirate incinerators operate intensively despite the determined efforts of the Environmental Protection Ministry and the Civil Administration. Incinerators are shut down and then reopen at the same location.

• The security fence is regularly breached in multiple locations. Along the roadsides, “central stations” spring up for Palestinian taxis and transporters that ferry infiltrators and illegal workers into Israel and back. This is often done right in front of Israeli soldiers, who stand aside and watch. There is little, after all, that they can do. How can a handful of soldiers handle hundreds of infiltrators at every point?

• West Bank checkpoints have become white elephants that mainly serve drivers who can’t get through the fence breaches. Gravest of all, they serve those transporting the thousands who stay in Israel illegally and infiltrate through the breaches.

• Illegal roads are being readied, often just a stone’s throw from Jewish communities and the main transportation arteries serving Israelis and Palestinians. No one knows what is being transported on those roads.

• In every open space, including state land and lands of Jewish regional councils, the Palestinians plant thousands of dunams of olive trees that preclude Jewish construction, hinder IDF soldiers from providing security to Jewish residents of the area, and enable terrorists to potentially attack Israeli targets very easily. Former Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad strove to take control of the open parts of Area C, which are officially under full Israeli control. Current P.A. Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh is much more militant and supports terrorists and their families fearlessly and blatantly.

• At all hours of the day, the calls of the muezzins issue from powerful speakers. This is not always for purposes of prayer. To a great extent, and particularly these days, this is being done to incite against and vilify Israel.

• Throughout the West Bank there are countless archaeological relics of the area’s ancient Jewish history. Systematic acts of Palestinian vandalism and robbery (such as destroying mikvehs and stealing stones from olive presses) are steadily erasing these testaments to the ancient Jewish presence in the region.

• Likewise, the COVID-19 crisis is being exploited to take over Jewish sites of antiquity (such as the Hasmonean fortress at Tel Aroma) and convert them into Palestinian “heritage” sites. Even Joshua’s altar on Mount Ebal is being used to serve the Palestinians’ fabricated narrative.

This cannot go on. Israel should unequivocally enforce its authority in the territories under its control while laying out a clear and uncompromising penal code to address any acts of lawlessness.

Anyone who illegally plants olive groves on state land, for example, should know he is liable to a substantial fine and will have to remove the trees himself. Religious preachers who incite violence should be incarcerated, as should anyone who builds illegally. Illegal structures should be demolished, with the demolition costs borne by their builders. Restrictions on movement should be imposed on those Palestinian leaders who support terror.

The more Israel continues to ignore this anarchy and lawlessness, the higher the price it will pay. For proof, we need look no further than the Negev, where Israel is impotent in the face of mounting lawlessness and serious violence among its Bedouin citizens.

Dr. Yechiel Shabiy is a researcher at the BESA Center and a political science lecturer at Bar-Ilan University.

This article was first published by the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies.

The opinions and facts presented in this article are those of the author, and neither JNS nor its partners assume any responsibility for them.
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