people who don’t have access to anything in Area C. This leads to the emptying of Area C land as there are no services and of course there is total control over natural resources by the Israelis. The situation in Area B resembles that in Area C more than Area A, so we can put Areas C and B together. Of course, there are exceptions but in general Areas B and C are similar. Logic Operating in Area A The PA is now responsible for providing services for people in Area A and this is due to Oslo. Of course, they should not be responsible for providing services, because Area A is also occupied territory, regardless of what Israel or the PA says. The obligations under international law such as the protection of the population and the provision of services are not negated because of a treaty between the occupied and the occupier. In fact, the Geneva Convention has a specific provision which states that any agreement between occupier and occupied cannot negate or diminish the application or the norms of the Convention. Thus, the PA is responsible for providing services under Oslo, but they are not responsible for this according to international law. Oslo is illegal under international law, from the outset, especially since it tries to modify the regulations, rules and obligations of the occupying power under international law. This is important because, people in Areas C and B think that they will find better services and a better life in Area A, and so, Area A becomes an alternative place that they can move to. This fits perfectly within the Israeli plan to concentrate Palestinians there, in these centers [Area A]. The international community is playing a really negative role under the guise of helping Palestinians. In reality, they are doing a huge disfavor to Palestinians. Firstly, they are paying for the occupation and they are rebuilding everything that the occupation is destroying. Israelis say that Palestinians can’t go to Bethlehem through Jerusalem, so the international community with international aid, makes another road for Palestinians, instead of saying that this is illegal. It makes things look more attractive as if we’re making progress, but in reality, we’re not. Why should I have to take a road [Wadi al-Nar, the newly built road] that takes me an hour and a half when I should be able to take a road that takes twenty or thirty minutes?” Emilio Dabed, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Law at Columbia University Law School and researcher. Interview: Ramallah, 21 February 2017 25