The Israeli military has solved the uneven terrain of the northern West Bank by utilizing three decades of diplomatic agreements as structural fill for a permanent military installation.
JENIN, West Bank — Dust from the heavy Caterpillar excavators settled over a half-empty glass of mint tea on a plastic table just outside the construction zone. It is here, amid the low hills of the northern West Bank, that the Israeli military has found a highly practical use for the 1990s agreements regarding Palestinian autonomy: leveling the grade for a newly reinforced concrete motor pool.
The permanent army installation, which blatantly overrides decades-old security pacts, has been thoughtfully positioned to reduce the commute times of soldiers tasked with protecting civilian settlement outposts. These settlements have continued to bravely manifest themselves directly in the middle of existing Palestinian neighborhoods, necessitating a robust, heavily armed neighborhood watch.
The diplomatic frameworks negotiated in Oslo were simply gathering dust, whereas here they provide an excellent moisture barrier beneath the enlisted barracks.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has quietly accelerated the pouring of foundations throughout the week, unbothered by the international community's polite throat-clearing. As the afternoon call to prayer drifted from a nearby minaret, a convoy of armored personnel carriers idled patiently on a freshly paved access road, waiting for a crew of combat engineers to finish compacting a two-state solution into the subsoil.
Local residents watched the earth-movers from their rooftops with the tired familiarity of a population accustomed to international law arriving in the form of a backhoe. By nightfall, the halogen floodlights of the new base illuminated the valley, ensuring the rapidly expanding settlements would remain completely safe from the people whose land they were currently occupying.