Security / Assessing the Status Quo I
The Territorial Approach
One perspective of Israeli security is the strategy of “territorial strategic depth.” Victory in the 1967 war gave Israel control of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, providing a territorial buffer against conventional attacks from neighbor states.
From 1967 until 1993, the Israeli military oversaw the administration of Palestinian life
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and built a security apparatus to safeguard Israelis, and the new settlements in the territories.
These measures included roadblocks, checkpoints and intervention into Palestinian villages which diminished the Palestinians’ sense of security.
The Oslo Accords
In 1993, the Oslo Accords created a framework for limited Palestinian governance under a new Palestinian Authority (PA). This was intended to be temporary, with final-status talks to follow. To combat terrorism and other threats, the Accords established Israeli-Palestinian intelligence sharing and security coordination, and since then, PA forces have maintained internal security over most Palestinian cities. However, Israeli forces continued unilateral intervention into Palestinian population centers.
The Oslo Accords divided the West Bank into three areas:
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Area A (18%): PA civil and security control in Palestinian cities
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Area B (22%): PA civil control and Israeli security control
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Area C (60%): Israeli control over remaining Palestinian areas, as well as settlements, major roads, national parks, military zones, and the border with Jordan