Israeli Settlement
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
An Israeli Settlement is an settlement established by Israel within the Israeli-occupied territories (since the Six-Day War in 1967).
- Context:
- It can (typically) be constructed on land regarded under international law as occupied.
- It can (often) lead to Displacement of Palestinian communities and contribute to ongoing conflicts.
- ...
- It can range from being a Large Israeli Settlement to being a Small Israeli Settlement.
- ...
- It can trigger questions regarding legality and the impact on the peace process.
- It can be associated with State Violence through military protection against Palestinian resistance.
- ...
- Example(s):
- Ma'ale Adumim, one of the largest settlements located east of Jerusalem, significantly altering the demographic and geographical status of the area.
- Ariel, a major urban center deep within the West Bank, which complicates the territorial contiguity of any future Palestinian state.
- Har Homa, established in East Jerusalem, affecting the urban continuity between Palestinian neighborhoods.
- Gush Etzion, a cluster of settlements south of Jerusalem, with historical ties predating the establishment of the state of Israel, but expanded significantly after 1967.
- Kiryat Arba, near Hebron, often a flashpoint for conflict due to its proximity to a major Palestinian city and its historical and religious significance.
- ...
- Counter-Example(s):
- Israeli Kibbutzim inside the Green Line, which are cooperative agricultural communities not built in occupied territories.
- Palestenian Neighborhood.
- See: Green Line (Israel), War Crime, Settler Colonialism, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Quartet on The Middle East, West Bank, East Jerusalem, Golan Heights, Israel.
References
2024
- "Seizing the West Bank: Extremist settlers in power - BBC World Service Documentaries."
- NOTES:
- Increased Settler Violence: Following the October 7 Hamas attack, extremist Israeli settlers have escalated violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, using intimidation and land seizures.
- Evictions: Palestinian families, like the Shtayyehs, have been forcibly evicted from their homes by armed settlers who claim ownership of the land, often with minimal intervention from Israeli authorities.
- Lack of Accountability: Despite illegal outposts being subject to demolition orders under Israeli law, these orders are rarely enforced, allowing settlers to continue expanding their presence in the West Bank.
- Military Support: Israeli settlers often operate with the implicit or explicit support of the Israeli military, which frequently provides protection during settler-led attacks on Palestinians.
- Settler Ideology: Many settlers believe that the land in the West Bank is historically and religiously Jewish, justifying their actions as part of reclaiming Jewish territories.
- Herding Outposts: Settlers establish herding outposts to seize large tracts of land, often resulting in violent confrontations with Palestinians. These outposts are typically illegal under Israeli law but remain largely unchallenged.
- Settler-Related Casualties: Since October 7, settlers have injured more than 230 Palestinians in the West Bank, with settlers themselves facing attacks from Palestinians, leading to a dangerous cycle of violence.
- International Sanctions: Some extremist settlers have been sanctioned by countries such as the UK, US, and EU for human rights violations against Palestinians, including acts of violence and forced displacement.
- Political Support: Ultra-nationalist settlers have gained political influence, holding key positions in Israel's government, which has emboldened further settlement expansions in the West Bank.
- Future of Settlements: With the Israeli government's backing, illegal outposts are increasingly becoming legalized, allowing settlers to solidify their control over significant portions of the West Bank.
- NOTES:
2024
- (Wikipedia, 2024) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_settlement Retrieved:2024-5-2.
- Israeli settlements, also called Israeli colonies, are the civilian communities built by Israel throughout the Israeli-occupied territories. They are populated by Israeli citizens, almost exclusively of Jewish identity or ethnicity, and were built on lands occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War in 1967. The international community considers Israeli settlements to be illegal under international law, but Israel disputes this.[1][2] The expansion of settlements often involves the confiscation of Palestinian land and resources, leading to displacement of Palestinian communities and creating a source of tension and conflict. Settlements are often protected by the Israeli military and are frequently flashpoints for violence against Palestinians. Further, the presence of settlements and Jewish-only bypass roads creates a fragmented Palestinian territory, seriously hindering economic development and freedom of movement for Palestinians. Currently, Israeli settlements exist in the West Bank (incl. East Jerusalem), which is claimed by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sovereign territory of the State of Palestine, and in the Golan Heights, which is internationally recognized as a part of the sovereign territory of Syria.{{Through the Jerusalem Law and the Golan Heights Law, Israel effectively annexed both territories, though the international community has rejected any change to their status as occupied territory. Although Israel's West Bank settlements have been built on territory administered under military rule rather than civil law, Israeli civil law is "pipelined" into the settlements, such that Israeli citizens living there are treated similarly to those living in Israel. Many consider it to be a major obstacle to the Israeli–Palestinian peace process. [3] [4] [5] [6] In Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (2004), the International Court of Justice found that Israel's settlements and the then-nascent Israeli West Bank barrier were both in violation of international law; part of the latter has been constructed within the West Bank instead of on Israel's side of the Green Line. [7] [8] As of January 2023, there are 144 Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including 12 in East Jerusalem; Israel administers the West Bank as the Judea and Samaria Area, which does not include East Jerusalem. In addition to the settlements, the West Bank is also hosting over 100 Israeli outposts, which are settlements that have not been authorized by the Israeli government. In total, over 450,000 Israeli settlers residing in the West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem, with an additional 220,000 Israeli settlers residing in East Jerusalem. Additionally, over 25,000 Israeli settlers live in Syria's Golan Heights.Between 1967 and 1982, there were 18 settlements established in the Israeli-occupied Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, though these were dismantled by Israel after the Egypt–Israel peace treaty of 1979. Additionally, as part of the Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip in 2005, Israel dismantled all 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and four settlements in the West Bank.[9] Per the Fourth Geneva Convention, the transfer by an occupying power of its civilian population into the territory it is occupying constitutes a war crime, [10] [11] [12] although Israel disputes that this statute applies to the West Bank. On 20 December 2019, the International Criminal Court announced the opening of an investigation of war crimes in the Palestinian territories. The presence and ongoing expansion of existing settlements by Israel and the construction of outposts is frequently criticized as an obstacle to peace by the PLO, and by a number of third parties, such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, [13] the United Nations (UN), Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and the European Union. The UN has repeatedly upheld the view that Israel's construction of settlements in the occupied territories constitutes a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.[14] [15] [16] For decades, the United States also designated Israeli settlements as illegal,[17] but the Trump administration reversed this long-standing policy in November 2019, declaring that "the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not per se inconsistent with international law"; this new policy, in turn, was reversed to the original by the Biden administration in February 2024, once again classifying Israeli settlement expansion as "inconsistent with international law" and matching the official positions of the other three members of the Middle East Quartet. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; refs with no name must have content
- Israeli settlements, also called Israeli colonies, are the civilian communities built by Israel throughout the Israeli-occupied territories. They are populated by Israeli citizens, almost exclusively of Jewish identity or ethnicity, and were built on lands occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War in 1967. The international community considers Israeli settlements to be illegal under international law, but Israel disputes this.[1][2] The expansion of settlements often involves the confiscation of Palestinian land and resources, leading to displacement of Palestinian communities and creating a source of tension and conflict. Settlements are often protected by the Israeli military and are frequently flashpoints for violence against Palestinians. Further, the presence of settlements and Jewish-only bypass roads creates a fragmented Palestinian territory, seriously hindering economic development and freedom of movement for Palestinians. Currently, Israeli settlements exist in the West Bank (incl. East Jerusalem), which is claimed by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sovereign territory of the State of Palestine, and in the Golan Heights, which is internationally recognized as a part of the sovereign territory of Syria.{{Through the Jerusalem Law and the Golan Heights Law, Israel effectively annexed both territories, though the international community has rejected any change to their status as occupied territory. Although Israel's West Bank settlements have been built on territory administered under military rule rather than civil law, Israeli civil law is "pipelined" into the settlements, such that Israeli citizens living there are treated similarly to those living in Israel. Many consider it to be a major obstacle to the Israeli–Palestinian peace process. [3] [4] [5] [6] In Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (2004), the International Court of Justice found that Israel's settlements and the then-nascent Israeli West Bank barrier were both in violation of international law; part of the latter has been constructed within the West Bank instead of on Israel's side of the Green Line. [7] [8] As of January 2023, there are 144 Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including 12 in East Jerusalem; Israel administers the West Bank as the Judea and Samaria Area, which does not include East Jerusalem. In addition to the settlements, the West Bank is also hosting over 100 Israeli outposts, which are settlements that have not been authorized by the Israeli government. In total, over 450,000 Israeli settlers residing in the West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem, with an additional 220,000 Israeli settlers residing in East Jerusalem. Additionally, over 25,000 Israeli settlers live in Syria's Golan Heights.Between 1967 and 1982, there were 18 settlements established in the Israeli-occupied Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, though these were dismantled by Israel after the Egypt–Israel peace treaty of 1979. Additionally, as part of the Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip in 2005, Israel dismantled all 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and four settlements in the West Bank.[9] Per the Fourth Geneva Convention, the transfer by an occupying power of its civilian population into the territory it is occupying constitutes a war crime, [10] [11] [12] although Israel disputes that this statute applies to the West Bank. On 20 December 2019, the International Criminal Court announced the opening of an investigation of war crimes in the Palestinian territories. The presence and ongoing expansion of existing settlements by Israel and the construction of outposts is frequently criticized as an obstacle to peace by the PLO, and by a number of third parties, such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, [13] the United Nations (UN), Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and the European Union. The UN has repeatedly upheld the view that Israel's construction of settlements in the occupied territories constitutes a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.[14] [15] [16] For decades, the United States also designated Israeli settlements as illegal,[17] but the Trump administration reversed this long-standing policy in November 2019, declaring that "the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not per se inconsistent with international law"; this new policy, in turn, was reversed to the original by the Biden administration in February 2024, once again classifying Israeli settlement expansion as "inconsistent with international law" and matching the official positions of the other three members of the Middle East Quartet. Cite error: Invalid
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:0 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedHarel - ↑ Anthony Cordesman, Jennifer Moravitz, The Israeli–Palestinian War: Escalating to Nowhere, Greenwood Publishing Group, Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2005 p. 432: 'Between 1993 and 1999, settlers established 42 "unofficial" settlements, only four of which were subsequently dismantled. More than a dozen new settlements were established between the 1998 Wye Accord [sic: it's the Wye River Memorandum, but Oslo Accords] and the outbreak of war, although former Prime Minister Netanyahu supposedly promised Clinton that he would halt expansion.'
- ↑ Zeev Maoz Defending the Holy Land: A Critical Analysis of Israel's Security & Foreign Policy, University of Michigan Press, 2006 p. 472: 'As can be seen from the table, in 1993 there were about 110,000 settlers in the occupied territories. In 2001 there were 195,000 (Note that the number of settlers increased by 18 percent during the Al Aqsa Intifada). This was an increase of 73 percent'
- ↑ Marwan Bishara, Palestine/Israel: Peace or Apartheid Zed Books, 2003 p. 133: 'The settlement expansion has continued unabated...and accelerated after the launch of the peace process.' p. 133.
- ↑ Baylis Thomas, The Dark Side of Zionism: Israel's Quest for Security Through Dominance Lexington Books, 3011 p. 137: "Six years after the agreement there were more Israeli settlements, less freedom of movement, and worse economic conditions." Settlement building and roads for Jewish settlers proceeded at a frenetic pace under Barak – the classic Zionist maneuver of creating of facts on the ground to preclude a Palestinian state.' p. 137.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedfco.gov.uk - ↑ Regarding international organizations and courts of law, see ; regarding the UN, see UN General Assembly resolution 39/146, 14 December 1984; UN Security Council Resolution 446, 22 March 1979; and International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion, 9 July 2004, Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, para 120; Regarding the European Union position, see The Syrian Golan
- ↑ *
- ↑ Robert Cryer, Hakan Friman, Darryl Robinson, Elizabeth Wilmshurst, An Introduction to International Criminal Law and Procedure, Cambridge University Press 2010 p.308
- ↑ Ghislain Poissonnier, Eric David, 'Israeli Settlements in the West Bank, a War Crime?,' Revue des droits de l'homme, 2020.
- ↑ 'Status of Settlements Under International Law,' Amnesty International pp.8,29f.
- ↑ "OIC Secretary General hails EU decision on Israeli settlements" . United Nations Information System on the Question of Palestine – OIC Statement to UN. Accessed 14 March 2015.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedUN Resolutions 446, 452, and 4652 - ↑ * * *
- ↑ * * * * * * Civilian and military presence as strategies of territorial control: The Arab-Israel conflict, David Newman, Political Geography Quarterly Volume 8, Issue 3, July 1989, Pages 215–227
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedBBCObstacle2