For years, apologists for Israeli policy in the occupied territories, such as CAMERA, have claimed the system of "Jewish-only" roads did not exist, since they are intermittently open to Palestinian traffic. The system has been de facto and not de jure. According to the Israeli paper Ma'ariv, that may be about to change and become official Israeli policy, with a set of little-travelled Jewish-only superhighways scarring the West Bank, whilst Palestinians are consigned to use a system of smaller roundabout roads.

Plia Albeck, legal advisor to the Israeli government and known as the "mother of settlements," died Sept. 27 at age 68, according to the Oct. 7 edition of New York's weekly Jewish Press. In 24 years as head of the Civil Department of the State Prosecutor's Office, Albeck, an ultra-orthodox Jew, used her expertise to outline the legal framework under which Israel would seize land to build its settlements in the occupied West Bank. Under this framework, 1.5 million dunams, or approximately 370 acres—26% of the West Bank—was declared "state land," in order to be exploited for building Jewish settlements. Albek signed the documents that determined if privately held Palestinian land could be taken over by the Israeli government.

From Israel's largest newspaper, Yediot Aharanot. A year ago, several high school students in an upscale section of Tel Aviv chained themselves to the gate of their school to keep out an army recruiter. As one of their number, Uri Nathan, 18, prepared to enter the induction center to refuse to serve, his friends staged this provocative protest:

With the approval of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), the ultra-fundamentalist Jewish “Ateret Cohanim" organization “is at the moment conducting a dig" at a depth of 12 meters beneath a building just 80 meters away from the walls of Islam’s third holiest site, the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, and that the excavations “have already advanced 20 meters eastward," Israeli daily Haartez reported Sept. 23.

Israel, which claims it no longer occupies the Gaza Strip and wants the world to see it that way, has not taken long to take back some Gazan land, according to AFP:

Israel is to set up a "security zone" extending into Palestinian territory in northern Gaza to avoid militants infiltrating the Jewish state, the defence ministry said Friday.

Two weeks ago, the Israeli cabinet voted to demolish de-consecrated synagogue buildings left in Gaza settlements. A court challenge by settlement rabbis to not demolish them was rejected. On Sept. 9, reversing an earlier stance in favor of demolishing, the Israeli cabinet voted 14-2 not to demolish, although the court order still stands. A key turning point was Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, born in Iran, and from a traditional Mizrahi family. Mofaz it is said was swayed by former Sephardic Chief Rabbi and Shas leader, Ovadia Yosef, who declared that Jews must not destroy the buildings. Even though Sharon voted against demolishing the buildings, he referred to them as "houses that were used as synagogues."

From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency:

French official praises, blasts Israel
France's foreign minister described Israel's "colonization" of the West Bank as illegal.

Visiting the Jewish state this week, Philippe Douste-Blazy praised the success of the Gaza withdrawal but said that "other steps must follow." "The colonization of the West Bank is against international law," he said, "and any continued colonization called into question the very meaning of the peace process."(JTA, Sept. 9)

Every Friday for months now, the Palestinian village of Bi'lin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank has been the scene of creative and organized non-violent protests against the illegal construction of Israel's "separation wall,"which will cut off much of the village's farmland. Hundreds of Palestinians, Israeli anarchists, and international activists have taken part in demonstrations brutally repressed by Israeli occupation forces with tear gas, live fire, rubber bullets, experimental weapons like sponge, salt, and sand bullets, and sound weapons. Palestinian Israeli members of the Knesset have attended the protests and been attacked, as well as Muslim clerics, and Palestinian politicians, including one-time presidential candidate Mustafa Barghouthi. On Sept. 2, Israeli soldiers attacked the villagers as they left their mosque after Friday prayers with tear gas, declaring that there would be no demonstration at all. Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz has ordered that the Wall be completed by the end of the year, so a crackdown on the protests is currently under way: