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In Ze'evi's footsteps
By Amira Hass

Someone who apparently had an especially sarcastic sense of humor decided to officially name the Jordan Valley Road, Route 90, the "Gandhi Road." The reference is not to Mahatma Gandhi, but to Rehavam Ze'evi, who advocated "transfer" - the expulsion of the Palestinians from their land. Perhaps he understood that this was indeed the appropriate name for the eastern road. For not only on this road, but throughout the enormous and beautiful expanse of the Jordan Valley and the eastern slopes of the hills, there is an oppressive sense of absence, loss, and emptiness.

The Palestinians have disappeared from the valley, aside from a few thousand who live there plus some to whom Israel agrees to give daily entrance permits for various reasons. It is not even possible to include the approximately 35,000 residents of Jericho among those remaining, because the Israel Defense Forces forbids them to travel northward of Area A, where they live.

Thousands of residents of the neighboring towns and villages in the northern West Bank, which are sometimes only a few kilometers away, are absent from the valley, even though they have relatives and friends, privately owned land, houses, commercial ties and jobs there. Also missing are the Palestinian cars that in the not so distant past used to transport these absentees. Missing as well are the thousands of potential travelers to Jordan, the vacationing families and school students. These potential customers are absent from the colorful stalls at the crossroads.
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Israeli soldiers control this absence via four principal checkpoints that divide the valley from the rest of the West Bank. They obey the orders of their commanders: It is forbidden for any Palestinian - in other words, some two million people (the 1.4 million residents of Gaza are already forbidden to come to the West Bank in any case) - to enter the valley, except for those whose official address, in their ID, is the Jordan Valley.

Some will say that these are security measures, whether legitimate or excessive, citing the attacks on settlers in the region over the last five years. But primarily, this is a direct continuation of a long-standing Israeli policy that intensified during the Oslo period. This policy has turned the Palestinian Jordan Valley, about one-third of the West Bank, into a story of lost opportunities from the point of view of its Palestinian potential: a potential for agricultural development and tourism, for improving and expanding existing communities or building new ones, for enabling a variety of lifestyles - urban, rural and semi-nomadic, modern and ancient, almost biblical.

The Israeli Oslo architects were careful to ensure that the Palestinian Authority would not be able to develop the valley during those fateful years when many believed that rehabilitating the economy was the proper basis both for a peaceful solution and for increasing support for such a solution.

The Oslo architects designated most of the eastern West Bank as Area C (full Israeli control), which is off-limits to Palestinian development. Only the settlements were allowed to develop, thanks primarily to the theft and exploitation of Palestinian water sources. A military training zone, where the IDF has conducted exercises ever since it conquered the West Bank, occupies 475 square kilometers of the valley and impairs the traditional lifestyle of thousands of semi-nomadic or Bedouin shepherds in the area. These shepherds are frequently turned out of their tents or forbidden to graze their sheep on these expanses or to raise a little wheat and produce for food.

At one time the explanation was that this is a firing range; once it was an issue of illegal construction. Just last Thursday, civil administration personnel demolished the tents, tin huts and sheepfolds of some 20 agricultural families in five different places in the valley. It is clear what scares the Israeli planners: A significant portion of the Palestinian communities in the valley turned from seasonal extensions of villages in the northern West Bank into permanent communities in the middle of the last century. Jews are encouraged to settle in the valley, but every conceivable method is used to deter Palestinians from doing so.

Preventing development and halting a long-standing natural process of construction and population expansion is a form of emptying out. But over the last few months, this effort expanded to include active measures: From time to time, soldiers come during the night and remove to the other side of the checkpoint those who live or work in the valley but whose official address is elsewhere. In the morning, these people return via the hills, evading the soldiers, taking the risk of stepping on a dud artillery shell.

And in October, people were given another reason to become fed up with life in the valley: Palestinian farmers were prevented from selling their produce to Israeli farmers at the nearest border crossing between the valley and Israel. Instead of traveling five kilometers, they were forced to travel 50, to a distant cargo terminal (Jalameh), and to wait endlessly at the internal checkpoints, knowing that a large portion of their vegetables would be spoiled by the sun and the bumping around. Knowing that there would be no reward for their labor.

The army swears that these prohibitions bear no relation to the politicians' declarations that the valley will remain in Israel's hands forever. But in practice, they are helping to empty it of Palestinians, in preparation for its official annexation to Israel.
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  1.   Gandhi road, a reward for peace 09:04  |  bruce 15/02/06
  2.   Israels latest ethnic cleansing 09:36  |  BRIAN 15/02/06
  3.   Oh, how subtle are the sins of ommission! 10:11  |  Pamela 15/02/06
  4.   Jordan Valley is Israeli 10:28  |  Shmuel 15/02/06
  5.   Forced transfer by Zionists 10:37  |  David 15/02/06
  6.   Well actually he did use the term transfer 11:08  |  Andrew 15/02/06
  7.   The transfer of 9000 Jews by force from their homes 11:45  |  Zev 15/02/06
  8.   Define Israel 11:54  |  Rafi 15/02/06
  9.   The ethnic cleansing continues... 12:21  |  Andy Murray 15/02/06
  10.   David 4 12:35  |  bbl 15/02/06
  11.   I`m sorry. I just don`t get it. Where would you have the Jews go? 12:57  |  Pamela 15/02/06
  12.   The fifth columnist strikes again 13:14  |  Shalom Freedman 15/02/06
  13.   David #10 13:32  |  Lucio 15/02/06
  14.   NO Jews in Jordan or Gaza or Saudi Arabia or Iraq 13:49  |  PETER SM 15/02/06
  15.   Very well so, terrorists out, Arabs with Arabs, Jews with Jews 14:00  |  Retired Moyel 15/02/06
  16.   Draft Amira Haas 14:26  |  FinanceDoc 15/02/06
  17.   Another Transmission From Israel`s Tokyo Rose 14:53  |  Jane 15/02/06
  18.   Jane and Amira Hass 15:12  |  Ronnie Wolman 15/02/06
  19.   David #5 15:15  |  Gee 15/02/06
  20.   Loosing home (pt1) 15:15  |  LisaV 15/02/06
  21.   Loosing hope (pt 2) 15:21  |  LisaV 15/02/06
  22.   myths 15:22  |  Andrea 15/02/06
  23.   Andy Murray 15:23  |  Stephen Duke 15/02/06
  24.   David in London 15:38  |  Stephen Duke 15/02/06
  25.   ` ethnic cleansing` ethnic cleansing` yada yada yada.. 15:50  |  KJJ 15/02/06
  26.   Doesnt anybody understand good intentions!!!! 15:52  |  Yaakov Sullivan 15/02/06
  27.   LisaV #20, 21 15:59  |  Gee 15/02/06
  28.   This is not for security 16:21  |  Don 15/02/06
  29.   #9 Exactly What Canadian sttlers did to the Natives in whats now 16:23  |  Max Zinger 15/02/06
  30.   Gee, one state solution possible? 16:25  |  LisaV 15/02/06
  31.   Killing the two state solution 16:25  |  Ben Alofs 15/02/06
  32.   ...to Hamira Hass 16:26  |  abraham...mico 15/02/06
  33.   jordan river 16:27  |  vladimir 15/02/06
  34.   It is easier to get out of the Likud than... 16:31  |  Ben Gurion 15/02/06
  35.   Amira and Haaretz are Muslim propaganda machines 16:40  |  Jorge 15/02/06
  36.   Jordan Valley - Eastern Israel 16:51  |  Rafi 15/02/06
  37.   No Hawaiians in Uzbekistan either 16:59  |  Chaim 15/02/06
  38.   # 17 Jane on Amira 17:03  |  Shelly 15/02/06
  39.   Israel`s finest daughter 17:15  |  JOHANES Franzen 15/02/06
  40.   LisaV #30 17:18  |  Gee 15/02/06
  41.   GIVE BACK ISRAEL TO PALESTINIONS NOW! 17:21  |  Isaac 15/02/06
  42.   No one seemed to complain when Arabs crossed the Jordan to kill 17:37  |  William 15/02/06
  43.   Jew-free Palestine 17:42  |  William 15/02/06
  44.   The Jordan Valley was never `Palestinian` 17:44  |  Jake 15/02/06
  45.   Aid and Comfort to the Enemy=Treason 17:46  |  Jane 15/02/06
  46.   # 41 Can`t you be more dramatic? 17:56  |  Shelly 15/02/06
  47.   Stephen Duke 18:01  |  David 15/02/06
  48.   Posting 36 - Stephen Duke 18:03  |  David 15/02/06
  49.   Is this a surprise? 18:04  |  Jeffro 15/02/06
  50.   Amira, Israel`s nhumanity towards the Palestinian people and 18:28  |  Dutch 15/02/06
  51.   Davd you come fro london where muslims have more rights 18:57  |  Jabadini 15/02/06
  52.   hamas "we drink jews`s blood" 19:24  |  shylock 15/02/06
  53.   of course it doesnt apply both ways 19:41  |  raykie 15/02/06
  54.   #44 Jake, What pleading in 1967 ? 19:50  |  Dutch 15/02/06
  55.   Funny... 19:58  |  Michael 15/02/06
  56.   Military Necessity Trumps Farming! 19:59  |  Bloomfield 15/02/06
  57.   UNFAIR to Terrorists....report in Ha`ARETZ 20:10  |  Ari ben Yisrael 15/02/06
  58.   Land for peace #1 20:24  |  Daniel 15/02/06
  59.   land for peace #2 20:25  |  Daniel 15/02/06
  60.   It`s Tali Fahima who`s the finest daughter of Israel 20:27  |  JOHANES Franzen 15/02/06
  61.   Amira, Telling it like it is 20:29  |  Dutch 15/02/06
  62.   hi "Sully inposter", what is your real name? 20:29  |  k 15/02/06
  63.   Land for Peace #3 20:30  |  Daniel 15/02/06
  64.   re ze`evis foot steps 20:31  |  Manny polak 15/02/06
  65.   Alofs All your side has offered for withdrawals is Qassems. 20:51  |  PETER SM 15/02/06
  66.   WHY? 21:06  |  Salomoni 15/02/06
  67.   `Dutch`, Jordan and Egypt: not the same thing 21:20  |  Jake 15/02/06
  68.   Dutch, you do injustice to the Arab cause 21:33  |  Jake 15/02/06
  69.   Amira 21:35  |  Yoram 15/02/06
  70.   ...to David..born to be a slave... 21:36  |  abraham...mico 15/02/06
  71.   RE #61 , "Amira, telling it like it is" 21:47  |  Jake 15/02/06
  72.   JAKE She is also a legally confirmed liar. 22:02  |  PETER SM 15/02/06
  73.   DUTCH #54 Wrong on Jordan 1967. Correction requested. 22:14  |  Ezreal 15/02/06
  74.   My good ,upright man Ben Alofs,reminds of Benjamin Disraeli 22:15  |  JOHANES Franzen 15/02/06
  75.   David In London (again) 22:16  |  Stephen Duke 15/02/06
  76.   # 75 I judge racist zionists by their actions, not their words 22:44  |  BRIAN 15/02/06
  77.   Jake #67 22:49  |  Gee 15/02/06
  78.   Dutch is about to loose ALL goodwill towards Israel in 10-9-8-7-6 22:55  |  KJJ 15/02/06
  79.   Who Are the Racists? 00:10  |  Jane 16/02/06
  80.   Jake & Ezreal , my response 00:29  |  Dutch 16/02/06
  81.   Blah Blah Blah 00:38  |  Joe 16/02/06
  82.   Ethnic Cleansing 00:59  |  Jane 16/02/06
  83.   Re: #76 by brian 01:01  |  Enlightened One 16/02/06
  84.   Ethnic Cleansing 2 01:05  |  Jane 16/02/06
  85.   Ethnic Cleansing in the PA 01:10  |  Jane 16/02/06
  86.   Honor Killings - The Genocide of Women 01:19  |  Jane 16/02/06
  87.   ETHNIC CLEANSING 01:25  |  Alex C. Wolosky 16/02/06
  88.   Dutch don`t take our word for it 01:40  |  Jake 16/02/06
  89.   Islam`s Ethnic Cleansing Numbers 01:42  |  Jane 16/02/06
  90.   one state solution 01:48  |  mark 16/02/06
  91.   Dutch 01:50  |  Daniel 16/02/06
  92.   arabs leaving 01:51  |  mark 16/02/06
  93.   Brian/ Israel visit 02:13  |  Herman 16/02/06
  94.   Jane 02:13  |  Gabe1 16/02/06
  95.   Gabe1 - The New Anti-Jewish Hatred 02:49  |  Jane 16/02/06
  96.   Here`s the lie Amira made which Haaretz had to pay a big fine 02:59  |  David Gregory 16/02/06
  97.   jake, My response , again 03:07  |  Dutch 16/02/06
  98.   Thank you Amira Hass- Vivre L`Israel 03:07  |  Avrum 16/02/06
  99.   Jane 03:08  |  Joel 16/02/06
  100.   Blame it on sorrowful palestinian politicians 03:21  |  Avrum 16/02/06
  101.   Dear Ms. Hass 04:17  |  Joel 16/02/06
  102.   In ZE"EVI`S FOOTSTEPS 04:45  |  aubrey zelman 16/02/06
  103.   Jordan valley 05:05  |  Bernard Ross 16/02/06
  104.   #96, David, What Amira saw is what she saw .... 05:09  |  Dutch 16/02/06
  105.   Brian#76 05:24  |  Yariv 16/02/06
  106.   Promotion for Amira 08:24  |  Max Stesel 16/02/06
  107.   Amira Hass` article and Pamela`s comment 11:04  |  Awraham 16/02/06
  108.   # 45 Jane 13:44  |  Shelly 16/02/06
  109.   what do Pals want? 18:48  |  mark 16/02/06
  110.   Thursday thoughts I 22:18  |  Carl 16/02/06
  111.   Thursday thoughts II 22:29  |  Carl 16/02/06
  112.   Extra! Israelis kill disabled young man in Jenin 02:15  |  Stop the occupation 17/02/06
  113.   spread all over the world 10:00  |  shabbat 17/02/06
  114.   spread all over the world 10:00  |  shabbat 17/02/06
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