Report on Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Territories

Israel has just elected Ariel Sharon for a second term, an expression of public support not bestowed on an Israeli prime minister since Menachem Begin. International efforts to fill the diplomatic vacuum created by the destruction of the Oslo process continue to proceed in fits and starts, without much confidence of success.

Jeff Aronson's account in this issue of settlement expansion south of Jerusalem and the accompanying map vividly illustrate Ariel Sharon's drive to cement Israel's domination of the occupied territories.

Israel's attorney general Elyakim Rubinstein has determined that "existing security circumstances leave no choice but to permit in principle the establishment of security zones around settlements.