Report on Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Territories

Israel has been searching for a sustainable framework for managing permanent occupation since Menachem Begin’s 1978 embrace of Palestinian “autonomy.”

Ariel Sharon’s historic legacy will not be defined by the exaggerated praise he receives today as a hero transformed from brutal warrior to “man of peace.” It will be determined by whether Israel, the Palestinians, and the United States can now create a vision of peace that builds upon Sharon’s successes and repairs his errors.

Israel’s reoccupation of the entire West Bank in Spring 2002 (Operation Defensive Shield) ended many of the limited powers exercised by the Palestinian Authority (PA). Palestinian institutions created during the Oslo years have long ceased to exercise significant security functions anywhere.