Concerns over settlement expansion in Bethlehem governorate

New settler farm further disrupts agricultural livelihoods

During the last week of October, Israeli settlers began developing a 300 dunum plot of land located in Area C, south of Bethlehem city. While the current works are reportedly limited to the establishment of an agricultural farm, the area surrounding this parcel is planned for the establishment of a larger residential settlement (see below). Both the short- and long-term plans threaten to further undermine the agricultural livelihoods of Palestinian farmers in the area, block the urban development of Bethlehem city, and deepen the governorate’s fragmentation.

Gate for new settlement outpost near Efrat settlement (Gush Etzion block); the outpost will cut Bethlehem from the south of the West Bank. Credit: Pietro Masturzo Gate for new settlement outpost near Efrat settlement (Gush Etzion block); the outpost will cut Bethlehem from the south of the West Bank. Credit: Pietro Masturzo

The recent works included the leveling of uncultivated land, the erection of tents, currently used by security guards, and the installation of basic electricity and water infrastructure. The plot, which lies within the boundaries of the Wadi Rahal village, was reportedly purchased during the 1980’s by a settler association known as “Himanuta”. According to Israeli media reports, the Israeli authorities approved the establishment of an agricultural farm on this plot in 2011.1

The immediate concerns are related to movement of settlers and soldiers between Efrata settlement and the new farm. The only access route between the two sites passes through privately-owned and cultivated Palestinian land. The Israeli Civil Administration opened this route earlier this year, allegedly to reach an adjacent area declared as “state land” in order to uproot Palestinian trees planted there. The establishment of the farm is likely to result in an increase in the volume of Israeli traffic through this road, alongside the adoption of security measures, which may further disrupt the livelihoods of Palestinian farmers cultivating this area.

“I, my brothers, and my cousins own 300 dunums of land in Khallet An Nahla, which we are trying to save from confiscation through legal proceedings. In the meantime, the Israelis opened a road through an adjacent parcel that we cultivate and which was not confiscated. We fear this road will be expanded and take even more land; land that we rely on for our income.”
Mohammed Ayesh, 50 years old from Irtas

This parcel is located next to a 1,400 dunum plot of land, named by settlers as Giv’at Eitam, declared by the Israeli authorities in 2004 “state land” and incorporated within the municipal boundaries of Efrata settlement. Subsequently, the Israeli authorities began drafting a planning scheme allocating this area for the construction of approximately 2,500 housing units. However, the planning process was put on hold following legal action taken by several Palestinians claiming ownership of the plot. A petition filed with the Israeli High Court of Justice in this context is currently pending.

Regardless of the fate of this petition, the establishment of the new farm may serve as a first step on the ground towards the development of the larger settlement plan. This concern is based on several well-documented cases in the past, where the Israeli authorities approved the construction of agricultural infrastructure which later evolved into fully residential settlements.2

These developments take place in the context of the longstanding fragmentation of the Bethlehem governorate, addressed by OCHA in a comprehensive report in 2009.3 The report showed how the space available to the Palestinian population of the governorate has been significantly constricted by Israeli measures such as the building and continued expansion of Israeli settlements and outposts, construction of the Barrier, and the zoning of the majority of the Bethlehem governorate as Area C, closed military areas and nature reserves. Of the 660 km2 comprising the Bethlehem governorate, only 13 percent - much of it fragmented - is available for Palestinian use. These measures have reduced Bethlehem’s development space, limited its access to resources (including the Dead Sea coastline),4 severed Bethlehem’s historic links to Jerusalem and restricted the urban area’s potential for residential and industrial expansion.

Territorial and administrative division of the Bethlehem governorate

  1. Walla news, 30 November 2011; Amira Hass, Ha’aretz, 1 November 2013. ↩
  2. For further details see: Peace Now, “A new outpost is to be established South of the Bethlehem”, 30 November 2011. ↩
  3. OCHA, Shrinking Space: Urban Contraction and Rural Fragmentation of Bethlehem Governorate, May2009. ↩
  4. According to the World Bank, if Palestinians could develop a Dead Sea hotel industry “of comparable profitability to Israel, this would provide annual revenues of some USD 290 million and value added of about USD126 million, equivalent to 1 percent of 2011 Palestinian GDP,” while providing direct employment for about 2,900 workers. Regarding the economic potential of Dead Sea minerals, the World Bank estimates that “the potential incremental value added to the Palestinian economy from the production and sales of potash, bromine and magnesium has been conservatively estimated at USD 918 million per annum, or 9 percent of GDP. This is almost equivalent to the contribution of the entire manufacturing sector of Palestinian territories today.” World Bank, Area C and the Future of the Palestinian Economy, 2 October 2013, paras. 49, 28 ↩

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