Israeli Settlements
The land that Israel controlled after their War of Independence of 1948 is referred to as “Green Line Israel” or “Israel Proper”. As you can see from the following map, Green Line Israel is all of what we consider Israel today minus the West Bank, Golan Heights, and Gaza.
- A map of “Green Line Israel” or “Israel Proper”
In 1967 there was a war between Israel and three of its neighbors: Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. Not only did Israel win this war, but Israel also took territory from each of these countries: the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the West Bank from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria. In the context of this debate, the term “settlements” refers to Israeli housing communities built these areas of land. Under international law, it is illegal for an occupying nation to settle its population in territories taken through war. Therefore, Israeli settlements are illegal.
When Israel and Egypt made peace in 1978 at Camp David, Israel dismanteled its settlements in the Sinai and returned the Sinai to Egypt. In 2005, under pressure from the United States, Israel pulled out of Gaza and dismanteled its settlements there. The settlements that have been built in the West Bank are a huge stumbling block to the peace process. After over 40 years of building settlements in the West Bank, there are so many roads, settlements, and walls that it has become impossible to create a viable Palestinian state in that area.
As a side note, there are actually two very different types of settlements. In order to encourage Israelis to move into the West Bank, the government has offered financial incentives to move there. These include low interest loans, low cost housing, and grants. As a result, many people who live in the settlements are simply there because it makes financial sense for them to live there.
The second group of settlers are those that believe that God gave the Jews this land and it is their duty to live there despite the hardships they cause to the local populations or themselves. Some people call these settlers “Ideological Settlers”. A classic example of ideological settlers are those that live in Hebron. Hebron is an Arab city with about 170,000 Palestinian inhabitants. Hebron is also a very holy site for Jews. Hebron is where Abraham bought a plot of land to bury his wife Sarah. The site is called “The Tomb of the Patriarchs”. The following video gives a good summary of the nature of Israeli settlements in Hebron.