Figure 1.--Here Israeli soldiers protect Jewish settler children in Hebron. Hebron is located on the southern West Bank. The press caption read, "Israeli soldiers guard Kewih children playing in their settlement area of the Beit Hadassa in the heart of Hebron 17 Mar-imbric is under th third wel of curfew, imposed after the mosque massacre." The photograph was dated March 17, 1994.

Israeli settlements are communities of Israeli citizens which have been developed in land seized by Israel during the Six Days War (1967). [Rivlin, p. 143.] This was one of several wars waged by the Arabs states and Palestinian irregulars simce 1948 to destroy Israel. They were primarily situated in Gaza, Siani, and the West Bank. Israel has removed the 18 Sianai settlements as part of the Egypt-Israel peace agreement (1979). This was not followed by attacks on Isreal. As part of the Israeli disengagement from Gaza, Israel removed 21 Gaza settlements and 4 settlements in the West Bank (2005). [Gorenberg, p. 363.] The unilateral disengagement from Gaza was an Israeli peace move that would lead the Palestinians to reciprocate. They did not. Instead, Hamas which gained control of Gaza, organized inumerable attacks, most commonly firing rockets into Israel. The settlements have been founded almost entirely by Jees, often Orthodox Jews with strong religious commitments. The settlements are now located on the West Bank. Israel has annexed the Golaon Hrights and East Jerusalem so the communities there are no longer settlemebnts. These settlements have emerged as a major controversy. The international community considers the settlements to be illegal under international law. [Roberts, pp. 85-86.] It is also the case that Palestinian groups continue to laumch attacks into Israel and many of the countries that criticize Isreal on the settlents, actually support these attacks. It is rather hypcritical to demand Isreal abide by internatiinal law and at the same time support and promote attacks on Israel. Israel has taken some actions against new settlements, but may approve some new ones. The Plaestinians show no sign of ending terror attacks into Israel. Here Hamas in Gaza has been the primary actor, but the Palestinian Austhority on the West Bank cointiniues to honor and pay bounties to terorists who kill Jews.

Sources

Gorenberg, Gershom. The Accidental Empire: Israel and the Birth of the Settlements, 1967-1977 (Macmillan; 2007).

Rivlin, P. (2010). The Israeli Economy from the Foundation of the State through the 21st Century. (Cambridge University Press: 2010). Israel occupied the Golan Heights, the West Bank, areas of Jerrusalem, the Gaza Strip, and the Sinai Peninsula (1967). This is whem the settlemnt building negan. Since then the Siani has been returned to Egypt and Israel has disengaged from Gaza. It has also annexed the Golan Heights and Jerusalem.

Roberts, Adam (1990). "Prolonged Military Occupation: The Israeli-Occupied Territories Since 1967," The American Journal of International Law. American Society of International Law (1990) Vol. 84, No. 1.

Created: 5:15 PM 3/13/2020
Last updated: 5:15 PM 3/13/2020