Israel to expropriate PA land for Hwy.

[Ordie]

Perhaps our friends in the Levant can provide information on the route alignment.

What is the process of building highways in Israel/PA areas?

Is there an environmental impact study and report?

What is the enroachment rulings and is there a process of eminant domain?

Are the property owners along the right of way are financially compensated at market value?

What about public hearings?

I think adding highways will only encourage greenhouse emmissions.



TERRITORIAL DISCORD
Israel to expropriate Palestinian land for highway

Aim appears to be to give Jewish state control over chunk of territory from Jerusalem to the Jordan Valley, analysts say


ORLY HALPERN
Special to The Globe and Mail
October 10, 2007

JERUSALEM -- One day after Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called on his people to prepare to make painful concessions ahead of a U.S.-hosted peace process, an Israeli newspaper revealed that his government has ordered the expropriation of Palestinian land to build a highway.
Israeli and Palestinian analysts believe the move is meant to give the Jewish state control over a large chunk of Palestinian territory from Jerusalem east to the Jordan Valley.
The Israeli army issued the order to expropriate 1,100 dunams of land from four Arab villages, the Israeli broadsheet Haaretz reported yesterday. (A dunam is 1,000 square metres.)
The Defence Ministry confirmed that the order was given to the Israel Defence Forces on Aug. 9, and said the 16-kilometre road is meant to be a "Palestinian highway" that will provide contiguity between Palestinian communities to the north and south of a so-called finger of Israel's controversial separation barrier.

The barrier's fingers will extend deep into the West Bank, and one will include the settlements in the area of Maaleh Adumim, a few minutes drive from Jerusalem.
"The strategists want to make sure that there is a strong wide Jewish finger going to Maaleh Adumim so that it won't be an isolated Jewish enclave," said Professor Oren Yiftachel of Ben-Gurion University, an expert in the political geography of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. "Their other goal is to weaken the Palestinian state by fragmenting the territory."
A number of observers believe that the real purpose of the new highway is to pave the way for Israel to build up the so-called E-1 zone between Jerusalem and Maaleh Adumim, and to destroy the contiguity of a Palestinian state.
Israel has long been planning to develop the geopolitically strategic E-1 area, the last stretch of land separating Jerusalem from Maaleh Adumim, but was forced to stop in 2005, as a result of U.S. pressure.
Palestinian information minister Mustafa Barghouti said Israel's latest move is part of a plan to expropriate land from Jerusalem all the way to the Jordan Valley, where Israel has already severely limited Palestinian access.
"This is not an isolated incident," Mr. Barghouti said. "It's part of a whole plan to disconnect the Jordan Valley from the West Bank, destroy the contiguity of the West Bank and control the border with Jordan."
The Israeli Defence Ministry denied the allegation, saying the confiscations were for the benefit of the Palestinians. But even creating a so-called Palestinian Highway is problematic, said Prof. Yiftachel, who wrote the book [I]Creeping Apartheid, about the Israeli network of roads, walls and checkpoints to separate the Palestinians from Jews inside the West Bank.
"If they say it's a Palestinian road, then it means the other road is Jews only," he said. "Even if that sounds positive, it's actually apartheid."
Recent reports by the United Nations and the Israeli human-rights organization B'Tselem reveal that Israel has been creating an increasingly intricate system inside the West Bank that allows Israelis free access to about 1,660 kilometres of roads and limits Palestinian access by roadblocks, check points and a permit system.
The new road will be built on about 162 hectares of Palestinian land, 56 of which is privately owned. The land is being confiscated from the villages of Abu Dis, Arab al-Sawahra, Nebi Musa and Talhin Alhamar.
The revelation of the land confiscation comes at a diplomatically sensitive time. Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams began this week to try to draft a joint document that will be presented at the U.S.-hosted peace conference to take place in November in Annapolis, Md.
The document is meant to present their joint objectives for solving the conflict's most difficult issues: permanent borders, Palestinian refugees, and Jerusalem as a capital for both states.
Professor Yoram Meital, director of the Herzog Center for Middle East Studies and Diplomacy at Ben-Gurion University, said the latest Israeli move does not bode well for conducting a peace process.
"Israel's policy is based on very problematic premises," Prof. Meital said. "It thinks it can make progress in the quote-unquote peace process with the Palestinians and at the same time confiscate more Palestinian lands.
"This is a contradiction, and I believe that there will be a very, very small chance that that this peace process will succeed. Unfortunately I'm afraid we are moving instead towards a severe crisis."


Source:http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071010.JERUSALEM10/TPStory/#

[Moledet]

We are loosing 8.5$ billion every year because of traffic jams, there's a need for more highways and better public transportation.

Most highways are built by MAATZ which is the national roads company.

The country according to a British law that exists here for about 70 years or so is allowed to take any piece of land and build a road on it even if it goes through your bedroom, though it must compensate the land owners according to a price determined by an appraiser.

[Ordie]

We are loosing 8.5$ billion every year because of traffic jams, there's a need for more highways and better public transportation.

Most highways are built by MAATZ which is the national roads company.

The country according to a British law that exists here for about 70 years or so is allowed to take any piece of land and build a road on it even if it goes through your bedroom, though it must compensate the land owners according to a price determined by an appraiser.

Thanks

So there is no consideration for the environmental impacts or review process. I'm sure at least archelogical issues must be taken seriously.

Given the previlance of the high tech industry, one would assume Israel would be completely within a WiFi Bubble or fiber optic network to allow for telecommunting and mitigate unneccessary commute trips.

Based on the US example, the more highways you build, the more suburban growth will follow, the more fuel is consumed.

[Hollis]

I think adding highways will only encourage greenhouse emmissions.



Humm, I always thought it was traffic lights. Ever notice where there are a lot of traffic lights there are a lot of vehicles?

On my local Highway, I have driven it 20 miles and never passed another vehicle on it. But the City of Salem, man, it has lots of traffic lights and always lots of cars.


Ok Sarcasm off, Surface streets but not highways. I Shared a VA hosp, room with a guy who help engineered the LA freeway system. Highways are way more efficient than surface streets. It any thing, it will cut emission from vehicles.

[Hollis]

Thanks

Based on the US example, the more highways you build, the more suburban growth will follow, the more fuel is consumed.


Actually it is the other way around. New building adds to congestion, added congestion means improving the roads.

Maybe this has more to do with birth control, more people = more homes, more homes = more roads.

[Violet Fashion by Mindy]

Humm, I always thought it was traffic lights. Ever notice where there are a lot of traffic lights there are a lot of vehicles?

On my local Highway, I have driven it 20 miles and never passed another vehicle on it. But the City of Salem, man, it has lots of traffic lights and always lots of cars.


Ok Sarcasm off, Surface streets but not highways. I Shared a VA hosp, room with a guy who help engineered the LA freeway system. Highways are way more efficient than surface streets. It any thing, it will cut emission from vehicles.

Highways encourage the use of motor vehicles. Thus increasing emission levels. The only sure way to reduce emission levels in a city is to build more public transportation systems.

[Ordie]

Actually it is the other way around. New building adds to congestion, added congestion means improving the roads.

Maybe this has more to do with birth control, more people = more homes, more homes = more roads.

Or go vertical and high density like New York or London and add more subway and transit lines.

Much of it has to do with geography as well.

Here's is a proposal from a California Firm for the development of a grade separated high speed rail system linking Palestinian enclaves with high density housing. This ensures security and allows for the free flow of goods and services.
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2005/05/13/arts/15benn_slide01.jpg

Blue and Green lines are rail corridors connecting West Bank destinations.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2005/05/13/arts/15benn_slide04.jpg

Here's a close up of a station with a connecting corridor to allow high density growth around the station and preserve open space.

[Moledet]

Thanks

So there is no consideration for the environmental impacts or review process. I'm sure at least archelogical issues must be taken seriously.

Given the previlance of the high tech industry, one would assume Israel would be completely within a WiFi Bubble or fiber optic network to allow for telecommunting and mitigate unneccessary commute trips.

Based on the US example, the more highways you build, the more suburban growth will follow, the more fuel is consumed.
What do you mean? Ofcourse they check if the road hurts wildlife or people's living quality but sometimes the state is allowed to build through your bedroom because it serves the public interest. Building on archaeological sites is forbidden.

Israel believes in WiMAX and not WiFi, although there are hot spots around the country it's just a solution for now until they build the WiMAX network.

[Hollis]

Or go vertical and high density like New York or London and add more subway and transit lines.




Good idea. I think ease of use is a big motivator.