Peace Process Bound to Fail if Israel Expands West Bank Settlements

Interview with Dr. Jeff Halper, coordinating director of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, conducted by Scott Harris

Since the election of Mahmoud Abbas as president of the Palestinian Authority, there's been renewed hope that progress could be made in restarting negotiations, leading to a viable peace between Israelis and Palestinians. But a Palestinian suicide bombing on Feb. 25 in Tel Aviv that killed five Israelis, shattered a fragile ceasefire and caused the government of Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon to delay the promised release of Palestinian prisoners and a pull back from West Bank cities.

Abbas, reacting angrily to the delay in implementation, accused Sharon of undermining peace efforts and threatening what had been achieved thus far in restarting the peace process. He went on to say that Palestinians would not accept an expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank as a trade-off for Sharon's planned withdrawal of Israeli settlers from Gaza. Sharon maintains that Abbas must take firm action to dismantle militant groups before fundamental issues can be addressed.

Although the U.S. press rarely focuses on Israel's peace movement, many Israelis support the withdrawal of all settlements from Palestinian territory in exchange for security. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Dr. Jeff Halper, coordinating director of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions - and a professor of anthropology, who talks about his group's efforts to stop the Israeli military's systematic destruction of Palestinian homes. Dr. Halper, an American Jew who emigrated to Israel in 1973 also discusses policy changes that he believes could increase the prospects for lasting peace.

Learn more about the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions by visiting their website at www.icahd.org

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