JUDEA — In land supposedly set aside by Oslo Accord agreement, by Israel and Palestinian Authority agreement, by international consensus, as a “No Construction” zone and that at one time was part of the Area C classification of property in Israel — meaning, controlled by the Jewish people, not Palestinians — stands a host of houses both finished and unfinished; a newly paved set of roads and a freshly laid brick block rotary, alongside which run water lines; and signposts with telephone numbers to call for those interested in building and locating to the area. What’s happening here?
The Judean Desert Nature Reserve is becoming a go-to home — illegally, according to international law — for Palestinians.
The Palestinian Authority, fueled by money from the United Nations, the European Union and yes, even America, has taken on the task of expanding Arabs’ footprint into Israeli lands by building homes on property that is supposed to be left au naturel. It’s a quiet way for Palestinians to stretch their presence into Israel — to settle and seize Israel’s lands — to ultimately squeeze Israel’s sovereignty. And all without firing a shot.
In 2023, Israel National News wrote: “Palestinian Authority constructing new illegal city which threatens Gush Etzion … in area marked as a nature reserve by treaty.”
That was then. It’s grown worse now. It’s grown worse since the Oct. 7 terror attacks against Israel.
Call it the story that media outside Israel rarely cover.
In a ride through the land with Regavim International Director Naomi Kahn as a host — Regavim being an organization dedicated to preserving the culture, history, land and sovereignty of Israel — the view is clear: The PA-pushed construction is not just continuing; it’s ratcheting. And sometimes, rather craftily.
According to Kahn, the curious bales of materials located at spots along the land are actually home-building supplies placed purposely by the Palestinian Authority, alongside P.A.-established water sources, to entice Bedouins who feed their flocks on the sprawling acreage to stay, to set up camp, to abandon their normal nomadic ways and to build more permanent homes.
Those homes become the public relations platform by which the Palestinian Authority can then call for international aid to make sure these people — these Bedouins and their children — are properly provided for; voila, make way for the water lines, the sewage, the roads, the infrastructure. Make way for the schools. Make way for the construction of whole Arab communities
Make way for more Palestinian chips into Israel’s land.
“These roads weren’t paved by Bedouins on donkeys with a spoon,” Kahn said, pointing to the freshly paved areas of the reserve.
No. They weren’t. But the fact that Israel’s own government is standing idly by as the forces who have hatred for the Jewish people go forth and build — go forth and multiply — on property that’s a) supposed to be kept as natural land and b) that’s under Israel control, is not only a source of frustration and fight for Kahn and her Regavim organization. It’s also a dangerous situation for all of Israel.
“That’s a good question,” Kahn said, when asked why Israel’s own government allows the construction without a fight.
“International pressure,” she added, in reference to the hostile atmosphere Israel faces from the United Nations, the European Union, from other governments — and she didn’t say, but the Biden administration certainly fits into this chamber of anti-Israel sentiment. Team Biden’s latest move was to abstain from voting for a U.N. resolution that called for an immediate Israeli military cease-fire against Hamas, ostensibly in exchange for the terror group’s release of hostages. Israelis largely see this no-vote as a go-ahead for Hamas. So, too, others around the world.
“The US just stood up to Israel at the United Nations,” The Guardian crowed in one headline, in the hours after the vote.
When America fails to stand strong as Israel’s ally, Israel’s enemies take notice — and act.
The building on the supposed “no-building-allowed” land of Judea is a perfect example of how Israel’s enemies are experts at exploiting political realities.
Fact is, it’s hard to see a way for Israel to reclaim the nature reserve property where homes now stand — where bulldozers now raze to build more homes — where roads and water lines and infrastructure are being built. It’s difficult to see how even changing political heads might clear the land of homes and return the property to its agreed-upon blank-slate state. It’s tough to see how Israel might turn back the clocks of development and infrastructure placement and community-building and recapture the Jewish ancestry and history and claim of ownership to the land.
And that’s exactly what Israel’s enemies want.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley. Listen to her podcast “Bold and Blunt” by clicking HERE. And never miss her column; subscribe to her newsletter and podcast by clicking HERE. Her latest book, “Lockdown: The Socialist Plan To Take Away Your Freedom,” is available by clicking HERE or clicking HERE or CLICKING HERE.
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