Report on Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Territories

Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon's plan for a unilateral evacuation from the Gaza Strip, along with the possibility of a more limited withdrawal in the West Bank, is now at the center of diplomatic attention.

Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon's determination to proceed unilaterally on a Gaza withdrawal is fraught with problems. Unless there are agreed upon arrangements for the resumption of full control of administration and security by the Palestinian Authority, border control, an orderly hand over of settlement properties, and cooperation on a host of other practical matters, Gaza could be a continuing focus of violence and disorder.

The non-military cost of Israeli settlement policy since June 1967 exceeds $10 billion. This sum is a conservative estimate, which excludes all military-related expenses and extensive settlement and related investments in East Jerusalem, where close to 200,000 Israelis now reside, and in the Golan Heights, where Israeli assets were valued at approximately $10 billion during the mid-1990s.