Annex responsibly

In the US, there is an understandable discourse about over-policing in certain areas, and the systematic discrimination based on race and ethnicity.

By JPOST EDITORIAL
A view shows the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim in the West Bank February 25, 2020. (photo credit: AMMAR AWAD / REUTERS)
A view shows the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim in the West Bank February 25, 2020.
(photo credit: AMMAR AWAD / REUTERS)
The killing of Iyad al-Halak on Saturday in east Jerusalem highlighted the difference between the riots that shook the streets in more than 140 cities across the US and the need for Israelis to live in safety in their homeland.
In the US, there is an understandable discourse about over-policing in certain areas, and the systematic discrimination based on race and ethnicity.
Here in Israel, no one can deny that there is an ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, and the heightened presence of police is needed to maintain security in the capital. We have seen enough deadly attacks in the past 72 years to know that until the conflict ends, armed forces will need to continue patrolling near Jewish and Muslim holy sites.
However, the killing was also a reminder of some basic facts that we tend to forget about Jerusalem, and its eastern part specifically.
Some 350,000 residents of Israel’s capital – around 40% of the city’s population – are Palestinians. The vast majority of them are not Israeli citizens.
This creature called “east Jerusalem” has created an odd situation over the years: the territory itself was annexed by Israel immediately after the Six Day War in 1967, but the people living there were never made citizens. There is an urban legend that says they were offered citizenship and refused but this story was never confirmed by Israeli officials. The Jerusalem Post has reported over the years how the state has created obstacles for those trying to obtain Israeli citizenship.
In this territory, Israeli law is valid, but most children study the Palestinian Authority’s curriculum – the one that encourages hatred against Israelis and Jews. It also receives some services from Palestinian companies, such as water and electricity.
Steps made by the Israeli government in the past pushed some of the areas in east Jerusalem behind the security barrier, making parts of the capital inaccessible to non-Israeli ID holders.
But above all, it creates a situation in which there are two types of residents: those who can vote in the national election and determine the future of the state, and those who cannot.
This brings us to an article by Lahav Harkov published on Wednesday, which said that according to the upcoming annexation plan, Israel will not annex Palestinian towns and will not grant citizenship to Palestinians living in these areas. Essentially, it means Israel will annex areas and leave Palestinian islands within it, what some former military officials have called “a Swiss cheese” approach.
This should be a warning sign to us all.
True, we do not want to add more Palestinians to our country and risk the Jewish majority we have. But on the other hand, this move – and the way it is conducted – raises questions regarding how the area will look in the future.
For example, who will take care of the infrastructure in those islands or exclaves, as they are referred to? If Israel wants to repair the bumpy Route 90 that runs along the Jordan Valley, will it also fix the roads that veer off into these exclaves? The experience in east Jerusalem teaches us if the population is not eligible to vote, no one will take care of it.
Annexation is a move that would have come sooner or later. The residents of the large blocs – Gush Etzion, Ma’aleh Adumim, Ariel and the Jordan Valley – are not going anywhere.
But this move seems to have been conceived with no advanced planning.
Leaving Palestinian villages as islands surrounded by Israeli sovereignty needs to be thought through, unlike the hasty move to annex Jerusalem in 1967.
This move led to the discrimination of hundreds of thousands of people on the one hand, and to Israel being stuck diplomatically on the other.
Annexation should be done wisely, and with ongoing discussions with all parties in the region.
Many ask why things are being done in such a hasty manner.
Israel should take its time and think thoroughly about the consequences of the move, so that when it does happen, it is in the best way possible.