Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
This map, posted in many places around Palestine, illustrates how with each passing dec-
ade, Israeli control of the Holy Land is becoming greater, while Palestinian control (the
green area) is shrinking.
I don't believe an Apartheid state is what Israel wants, and I don't believe it's the best
option for Israel. But as Israel continues to build settlements that carve up the West Bank,
I fear the country may be forcing itself into an ugly and undesirable corner. With a two-
state scenario becoming less and less likely, Israel will have to be one state. And if that
state is to be Jewish, Israel may ultimately have no option but to become what most Is-
raelis don't want to be in order to simply be.
Palestinian Borders: Complex as ABC
As a visitor, zipping from Palestinian city to city on fine modern freeways, it's
easy to underestimate the complexity of the region and the extent of Israeli control.
Palestinians living in the West Bank, while nominally autonomous, feel they're un-
der Israeli occupation. Palestinian cities are generally Palestinian-run with their own
security forces. But these islands of relative independence are surrounded by land
and roads controlled by Israeli military.
Since the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords, the West Bank has been subdivided into
pockets of land classified into three zones: Areas A, B, and C.
Area A
(18 percent of the land in the West Bank, with about 55 percent of
the people) is made up of islands within the West Bank. It contains most of the
Palestinian cities and towns, and is entirely controlled by the Palestinian Authority.
