Israeli settlement

One of the most contentious issues in the Arab-Israeli Conflict has been the Israeli policy of sponsoring, supporting, and/or tolerating the establishment of Jewish communities in areas that came under Israeli control as a result of the 1967 Six Day War . The issue relates to the interpretation of international law and its applicability to the situation; the purpose and effects of the Israeli policy; the actions of various Palestinian groups that oppose the policy; and the larger context of the conflict.

Map of Israeli settlements (magenta) in the West Bank as of 2006. Map of Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights as of 1992. A neighbourhood in Ariel , home to the Ariel University Center of Samaria , Israel's largest public college Neve Dekalim was evacuated by Israel in 2005 Israeli settlements are Israeli civilian communities in the Israeli-occupied territories (lands that were captured from Egypt , Jordan , Lebanon , and Syria by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War ). Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank , East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights . The latter two areas are governed under Israeli civil law but all three territories are considered to be under military occupation by the international community . Eighteen settlements formerly existed in the Sinai Peninsula and twenty-one in the Gaza Strip . All of these areas were withdrawn from in 1982 and 2005, respectively. As of July 2009, approximately 304,569 Israelis live in the 121 officially-recognised settlements in the West Bank, a further 192,000 Israelis live in settlements in East Jerusalem and over 20,000 live in settlements in the Golan Heights. Settlements range in their character from farming communities to suburbs to frontier villages, and, in the case of East Jerusalem, city neighborhoods. The three largest settlements, Modi'in Illit , Maale Adumim and Betar Illit , are cities with over 30,000 residents each. International intergovernmental organizations such as the Conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention , every major organ of the United Nations , the European Union , and Canada , have declared that the settlements are a violation of international law. have declared that the settlements are a violation of international law. A review of Israel's country report conducted by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination stated "The status of the settlements was clearly inconsistent with Article 3 of the Convention, which, as noted in the Committee's General Recommendation XIX, prohibited all forms of racial segregation in all countries. There is a consensus among publicists that the prohibition of racial discrimination, irrespective of territories, is an imperative norm of international law." Non-governmental organizations including Amnesty International , and Human Rights Watch have also characterized the settlements as a violation of international law. In 1978, the Legal Adviser of the Department of State to the United States Congress concluded that "the establishment of the civilian settlements in those territories is inconsistent with international law." Israel, the Anti-Defamation League and some prominent legal scholars disagree. Under Israeli law, West Bank settlements must meet specific criteria to be legal; Approximately 100 unauthorized small communities that do not meet these criteria exist and are called illegal outposts . Israeli policies toward these settlements have ranged from active promotion to removal by force, and their continued existence and expansion since the 1970s is a key issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict . The ongoing settlement construction by Israel is frequently criticized as an obstacle to the peace process by third parties including the United Kingdom, the European Union, the United Nations and the United States. Donald MacIntyre, The Big Question: What are Israeli settlements, and why are they coming under pressure? , The Independent 29-05-2009 "Israel, the homeland of the Jews, was established in Palestine in 1948. The Palestine Liberation Organization, under Yasir Arafat, is committed to establishing a Palestinian state, which would include territory on the West Bank and Gaza Strip now occupied by Israel." Palestine, The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy , Third Edition. 2002. "Though Israeli forces withdrew from Nablus and parts of Ramallah on Sunday, traversing war-torn West Bank territory still under occupation makes for a difficult trip to school." Taylor, Catherine. "Palestinian schools hit hard by conflict" , Christian Science Monitor , 23 April 2002. "Though under partial occupation, Palestinian society is one of the more democratic Arab societies today." Mohammed, Mima. "Palestinian Awareness Month aims to educate Stanford students" , Stanford Daily , 20 April 2006. "The IDF would continue with its occupation of the West Bank and incursions in the Gaza Strip." "Chronological Review of Events Relating to the Question of Palestine" , Monthly Media Monitoring Review, UNISPAL , Division for Palestinian Rights, March 2003. A History of the World from the 20th to the 21st Century . Ariel Sharon with the backing of President Bush embarked on unilateral solutions in 2004. He wishes to persuade Israelis to withdraw from Gaza and to accept the removal of some 7000 settlers. Most Israelis support the pullout, but some feel the government has given in to Palestinian militant groups, and worry that further withdrawals will follow. Palestinian critics point out that Gaza will remain under Israeli control, and that they are being denied a political say in the disengagement process. : Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= ( help ) Yearbook of the United Nations 2005 . The Israeli Government was preparing to implement an unprecedented initiative: the disengagement of all Israeli civilians and forces from the Gaza Strip and the dismantling of four settlements in the northern West Bank. During 1982 Israel's government stuck to its territorial policy in word and deed. All the settlements in Sinai were evacuated in accordance with the Camp David Accords, but settlement activity in the other territories continued uninterrupted. A few days after the final withdrawal from Sinai had been completed, Begin announced that he would introduce a resolution barring future governments from dismantling settlements, even as a result of peace negotiations. Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada . The Carter Administration View: "Settlements are Inconsistent with International Law" "Letter of the State Department Legal Advisor, Mr. Hansell, Concerning the Legality of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Territories", cited in Progress report - The human rights dimensions of population transfer including the implantation of settler prepared by Mr. Bricks and stones: settling for leverage; Palestinian autonomy , The New Republic , 23 April 1990. International Law and the Arab-Israeli Conflict (pdf) - Extracts from Israel and Palestine - Assault on the Law of Nations by Julius Stone , Second Edition with additional material and commentary updated to 2003, AIJAC website. The vast majority of jurists in Israel and abroad hold the opinion that the Fourth Geneva Convention is binding on Israel in the territories it occupies, and that Article 49 indeed prohibits the establishment of settlements." "Israel, the Conflict and Peace: Answers to frequently asked questions" .

Jewish civilian community built by Israel on lands occupied since the 1967 Six-Day War West Bank settlements (2014) East Jerusalem settlements (2006) Golan Heights settlements (1992) Israeli settlements are civilian communities inhabited by Israeli citizens , almost exclusively of Jewish ethnicity, built on lands occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War . Israeli settlements currently exist in the Palestinian territory of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem , and in the Syrian territory of the Golan Heights , and had previously existed within the Egyptian territory of the Sinai Peninsula , and within the Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip ; however, Israel evacuated and dismantled the 18 Sinai settlements following the 1979 Egypt–Israel peace agreement and all of the 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip, along with four in the West Bank, in 2005 as part of its unilateral disengagement from Gaza . The international community considers the settlements to be illegal under international law , and the United Nations has repeatedly upheld the view that Israel's construction of settlements constitutes a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention . Israel has established Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem and in the Israeli-occupied portion of the Golan Heights , both of which Israel has effectively annexed, and as such Israel does not consider the developments there to be settlements. The international community regards both territories as held under Israeli occupation and the localities established there to be illegal settlements. The International Court of Justice also said that these settlements are illegal in its 2004 advisory opinion on the West Bank barrier . In the West Bank, Israel continues to expand its remaining settlements as well as settling new areas, despite pressure from the international community to desist. The presence and ongoing expansion of existing settlements by Israel and the construction of settlement outposts is frequently criticized as an obstacle to the Israeli–Palestinian peace process by the Palestinians, and third parties such as the OIC , the United Nations , Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and the European Union have echoed those criticisms. The United States for decades considered the settlements to be "illegitimate" until the Trump Administration in November 2019 shifted its position declaring "the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not per se inconsistent with international law." The population of the 121 officially recognized settlements in the West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem, is c. 400,000 almost exclusively Jewish citizens of Israel; East Jerusalem settlements are inhabited by over 300,000 Israeli citizens (both Jewish citizens of Israel and Arab citizens of Israel ); and over 20,000 Israeli citizens live in settlements in the Golan Heights. East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights have been annexed by Israel, so residents are treated equivalently to the rest of Israel under Israeli law. Although the West Bank settlements are on land administered under Israeli military law 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. This is despite huge efforts by successive governments to fragment and encircle Palestinian residential areas with exclusively Jewish zones of residence – the settlements. The Israeli Economy from the Foundation of the State through the 21st Century . In the June 1967 Six Day War, Israel occupied the Golan Heights, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Sinai Peninsula. Soon after, it began to build the first settlements for Jews in those areas. So argued the government of Israel before the country's Supreme Court in the spring of 2005, defending its decision to dismantle all Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip and four in the northern West Bank. The American Journal of International Law . 84 (1). The international community has taken a critical view of both deportations and settlements as being contrary to international law. General Assembly resolutions have condemned the deportations since 1969, and have done so by overwhelming majorities in recent years. Likewise, they have consistently deplored the establishment of settlements, and have done so by overwhelming majorities throughout the period (since the end of 1976) of the rapid expansion in their numbers. The Security Council has also been critical of deportations and settlements; and other bodies have viewed them as an obstacle to peace, and illegal under international law. " 'Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory': A Missed Opportunity for International Humanitarian Law?". In Conforti, Benedetto; Bravo, Luigi (eds.). The Italian Yearbook of International Law . "Israel: The security barrier—between international law, constitutional law, and domestic judicial review" . International Journal of Constitutional Law . 4 (3). The real controversy hovering over all the litigation on the security barrier concerns the fate of the Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. Since 1967, Israel has allowed and even encouraged its citizens to live in the new settlements established in the territories, motivated by religious and national sentiments attached to the history of the Jewish nation in the land of Israel. This policy has also been justified in terms of security interests, taking into consideration the dangerous geographic circumstances of Israel before 1967 (where Israeli areas on the Mediterranean coast were potentially threatened by Jordanian control of the West Bank ridge). The international community, for its part, has viewed this policy as patently illegal, based on the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention that prohibit moving populations to or from territories under occupation. In Bowen, Stephen (ed.). Human rights, self-determination and political change in the occupied Palestinian Hkterritories . International studies in human rights. It can thus clearly be concluded that the transfer of Israeli settlers into the occupied territories violates not only the laws of belligerent occupation but the Palestinian right of self-determination under international law. The question remains, however, whether this is of any practical value. In other words, given the view of the international community that the Israeli settlements are illegal under the law if belligerent occupation... The international community considers Israeli settlements within the occupied territories illegal and in breach of, inter alia, United Nations Security Council resolution 465 of 1 March 1980 calling on Israel "to dismantle the existing settlements and in particular to cease, on an urgent basis, the establishment, construction and planning of settlements in the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem". Most Israelis support the pullout, but some feel the government has given in to Palestinian militant groups, and worry that further withdrawals will follow. Palestinian critics point out that Gaza will remain under Israeli control, and that they are being denied a political say in the disengagement process. Yearbook of the United Nations 2005 . The Israeli Government was preparing to implement an unprecedented initiative: the disengagement of all Israeli civilians and forces from the Gaza Strip and the dismantling of four settlements in the northern West Bank. During 1982 Israel's government stuck to its territorial policy in word and deed. All the settlements in Sinai were evacuated in accordance with the Camp David Accords, but settlement activity in the other territories continued uninterrupted. A few days after the final withdrawal from Sinai had been completed, Begin announced that he would introduce a resolution barring future governments from dismantling settlements, even as a result of peace negotiations. In 2001 there were 195,000 (Note that the number of settlers increased by 18 percent during the Al Aqsa Intifada ). Bearing Witness: Eight weeks in Palestine . "Jewish settlements no longer illegal - US" . 18 November 2019 .

Israeli communities built on land occupied in the 1967 Six-Day War For other uses, see Israeli settlement (disambiguation) . West Bank settlements (2020) East Jerusalem settlements (2006) Golan Heights settlements (1992) Israeli settlements or colonies are civilian communities where Israeli citizens live, almost exclusively of Jewish ethnicity , built on lands occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War in 1967. The international community consider Israeli settlements to be illegal under international law , though Israel disputes this. Israeli settlements currently exist in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) , claimed by the State of Palestine as its sovereign territory, and in the Golan Heights , which is internationally considered Syrian territory. East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights have been effectively annexed by Israel , though the international community has rejected any change of status in both territories and continues to consider each occupied territory . Although the West Bank settlements are on land administered under Israeli 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. As of January 2023, there are 144 Israeli settlements in the West Bank , including 12 in East Jerusalem . In addition, there are over 100 Israeli illegal outposts in the West Bank. In total, over 450,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank excluding East Jerusalem, with an additional 220,000 Jewish settlers residing in East Jerusalem. Additionally, over 25,000 Israeli settlers live in the Golan Heights. Israeli settlements had previously been built within the Egyptian territory of the Sinai Peninsula , and within the Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip ; however, Israel evacuated and dismantled the 18 Sinai settlements following the 1979 Egypt–Israel peace agreement and all of the 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip, along with four in the West Bank, in 2005 as part of its unilateral disengagement from Gaza . Israel has established Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem and in the Israeli-occupied portion of the Golan Heights , both of which Israel has effectively annexed, and as such Israel does not consider the developments there to be settlements. The international community regards both territories as held under Israeli occupation and the localities established there to be illegal settlements. The International Court of Justice found the settlements to be illegal in its 2004 advisory opinion on the West Bank barrier . In the West Bank, Israel continues to expand its remaining settlements as well as settling new areas, despite pressure from the international community to desist. The transfer by an occupying power of its civilian population into the territory it occupies is a war crime , although Israel disputes that this applies to the West Bank. On 20 December 2019, the International Criminal Court announced an International Criminal Court investigation in Palestine into alleged war crimes. The presence and ongoing expansion of existing settlements by Israel and the construction of settlement outposts is frequently criticized as an obstacle to the Israeli–Palestinian peace process by the Palestinians, and third parties such as the OIC , the United Nations , Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and the European Union have echoed those criticisms. The international community considers the settlements to be illegal under international law , and the United Nations has repeatedly upheld the view that Israel's construction of settlements constitutes a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention . The United States for decades considered the settlements to be "illegitimate", until the Trump administration in November 2019 shifted its position, declaring "the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not per se inconsistent with international law." Matar, Ibrahim (1981). The pattern and process of land seizure for the purpose of constructing these Israeli colonies... The continuous construction of Israeli colonies and bypass roads all over the Palestinian land... "Building and planning regulations under Israeli colonial power: a critical study from Palestine". Moreover in 1995 38,500 housing units were built in Jewish settlements (colonies)... The ongoing occupation has been heavily shaped by the issues of land confiscation and the building of Israeli Jewish settlements (or what Palestinians often refer to less euphemistically as "colonies"). This is despite huge efforts by successive governments to fragment and encircle Palestinian residential areas with exclusively Jewish zones of residence – the settlements. Arabs move in to Jewish settlements" . The Israeli Economy from the Foundation of the State through the 21st Century . In the June 1967 Six Day War, Israel occupied the Golan Heights, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Sinai Peninsula. Soon after, it began to build the first settlements for Jews in those areas. The international community has taken a critical view of both deportations and settlements as being contrary to international law. General Assembly resolutions have condemned the deportations since 1969, and have done so by overwhelming majorities in recent years. Likewise, they have consistently deplored the establishment of settlements, and have done so by overwhelming majorities throughout the period (since the end of 1976) of the rapid expansion in their numbers. The Security Council has also been critical of deportations and settlements; and other bodies have viewed them as an obstacle to peace, and illegal under international law... Although East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights have been brought directly under Israeli law, by acts that amount to annexation, both of these areas continue to be viewed by the international community as occupied, and their status as regards the applicability of international rules is in most respects identical to that of the West Bank and Gaza. " 'Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory': A Missed Opportunity for International Humanitarian Law?". In Conforti, Benedetto; Bravo, Luigi (eds.). The Italian Yearbook of International Law . "Israel: The security barrier—between international law, constitutional law, and domestic judicial review" . The real controversy hovering over all the litigation on the security barrier concerns the fate of the Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. Since 1967, Israel has allowed and even encouraged its citizens to live in the new settlements established in the territories, motivated by religious and national sentiments attached to the history of the Jewish nation in the land of Israel. This policy has also been justified in terms of security interests, taking into consideration the dangerous geographic circumstances of Israel before 1967 (where Israeli areas on the Mediterranean coast were potentially threatened by Jordanian control of the West Bank ridge). The international community, for its part, has viewed this policy as patently illegal, based on the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention that prohibit moving populations to or from territories under occupation. In Bowen, Stephen (ed.). Human rights, self-determination and political change in the occupied Palestinian territories . International studies in human rights. It can thus clearly be concluded that the transfer of Israeli settlers into the occupied territories violates not only the laws of belligerent occupation but the Palestinian right of self-determination under international law. The question remains, however, whether this is of any practical value. In other words, given the view of the international community that the Israeli settlements are illegal under the law if belligerent occupation, what purpose does it serve to establish that an additional breach of international law has occurred? International Law and the Arab-Israel Conflict: Extracts from "Israel and Palestine Assault on the Law of Nations" by Professor Julius Stone (2nd ed.). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics . So argued the government of Israel before the country's Supreme Court in the spring of 2005, defending its decision to dismantle all Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip and four in the northern West Bank. In 2001 there were 195,000 (Note that the number of settlers increased by 18 percent during the Al Aqsa Intifada ). Bearing Witness: Eight weeks in Palestine . Most Israelis support the pullout, but some feel the government has given in to Palestinian militant groups, and worry that further withdrawals will follow. Palestinian critics point out that Gaza will remain under Israeli control, and that they are being denied a political say in the disengagement process. Yearbook of the United Nations 2005 . The Israeli Government was preparing to implement an unprecedented initiative: the disengagement of all Israeli civilians and forces from the Gaza Strip and the dismantling of four settlements in the northern West Bank. During 1982 Israel's government stuck to its territorial policy in word and deed. All the settlements in Sinai were evacuated in accordance with the Camp David Accords, but settlement activity in the other territories continued uninterrupted. A few days after the final withdrawal from Sinai had been completed, Begin announced that he would introduce a resolution barring future governments from dismantling settlements, even as a result of peace negotiations. "Jewish settlements no longer illegal – US" . 18 November 2019 . There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).

Israeli communities built on land occupied in the 1967 Six-Day War Not to be confused with Israelite highland settlement . West Bank settlements (2020) East Jerusalem settlements (2006) Golan Heights settlements (1992) Gaza Strip settlements (1993), dismantled since the 2005 disengagement 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 have been constructed on lands that Israel has militarily occupied since the Six-Day War in 1967. The international community considers Israeli settlements to be illegal under international law , but Israel disputes this. In 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found in an advisory opinion that Israel's occupation was illegal and ruled that Israel had "an obligation to cease immediately all new settlement activities and to evacuate all settlers" from the occupied territories. 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. Furthermore, the presence of settlements and Jewish-only bypass roads creates a fragmented Palestinian territory , seriously hindering economic development and freedom of movement for Palestinians . As of April 2025, Israeli settlements exist in the West Bank (including 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 . In Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (2004), the ICJ 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, as opposed to being entirely on Israel's side of the Green Line . As of January 2023, there are 144 Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including 12 in East Jerusalem; the Israeli government 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 at least 196 Israeli outposts , which are settlements that have not been authorized by the Israeli government. In total, over 450,000 Israeli settlers reside 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. 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 , 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 , 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. The pattern and process of land seizure for the purpose of constructing these Israeli colonies... The continuous construction of Israeli colonies and bypass roads all over the Palestinian land... "Building and planning regulations under Israeli colonial power: a critical study from Palestine". Moreover in 1995 38,500 housing units were built in Jewish settlements (colonies)... The ongoing occupation has been heavily shaped by the issues of land confiscation and the building of Israeli Jewish settlements (or what Palestinians often refer to less euphemistically as "colonies"). This is despite huge efforts by successive governments to fragment and encircle Palestinian residential areas with exclusively Jewish zones of residence – the settlements. Arabs move in to Jewish settlements" . The Israeli Economy from the Foundation of the State through the 21st Century . In the June 1967 Six Day War, Israel occupied the Golan Heights, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Sinai Peninsula. Soon after, it began to build the first settlements for Jews in those areas. The international community has taken a critical view of both deportations and settlements as being contrary to international law. General Assembly resolutions have condemned the deportations since 1969, and have done so by overwhelming majorities in recent years. Likewise, they have consistently deplored the establishment of settlements, and have done so by overwhelming majorities throughout the period (since the end of 1976) of the rapid expansion in their numbers. The Security Council has also been critical of deportations and settlements; and other bodies have viewed them as an obstacle to peace, and illegal under international law... Although East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights have been brought directly under Israeli law, by acts that amount to annexation, both of these areas continue to be viewed by the international community as occupied, and their status as regards the applicability of international rules is in most respects identical to that of the West Bank and Gaza. " 'Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory': A Missed Opportunity for International Humanitarian Law?". In Conforti, Benedetto; Bravo, Luigi (eds.). The Italian Yearbook of International Law . "Israel: The security barrier—between international law, constitutional law, and domestic judicial review" . The real controversy hovering over all the litigation on the security barrier concerns the fate of the Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. Since 1967, Israel has allowed and even encouraged its citizens to live in the new settlements established in the territories, motivated by religious and national sentiments attached to the history of the Jewish nation in the land of Israel. This policy has also been justified in terms of security interests, taking into consideration the dangerous geographic circumstances of Israel before 1967 (where Israeli areas on the Mediterranean coast were potentially threatened by Jordanian control of the West Bank ridge). The international community, for its part, has viewed this policy as patently illegal, based on the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention that prohibit moving populations to or from territories under occupation. In Bowen, Stephen (ed.). Human rights, self-determination and political change in the occupied Palestinian territories . International studies in human rights. It can thus clearly be concluded that the transfer of Israeli settlers into the occupied territories violates not only the laws of belligerent occupation but the Palestinian right of self-determination under international law. The question remains, however, whether this is of any practical value. In other words, given the view of the international community that the Israeli settlements are illegal under the law if belligerent occupation, what purpose does it serve to establish that an additional breach of international law has occurred? International Law and the Arab-Israel Conflict: Extracts from "Israel and Palestine Assault on the Law of Nations" by Professor Julius Stone (2nd ed.). In 2001 there were 195,000 (Note that the number of settlers increased by 18 percent during the Al Aqsa Intifada ). Bearing Witness: Eight weeks in Palestine . The BBC independently verified the location of 196 outposts established in the occupied West Bank, almost half of them built in the past five years. Documents seen by BBC Eye reveal that some of the settlers, who have established these herding outposts, have been supported by two powerful organisations in Israel. One of these organisations describes itself as "an arm of the Israeli state". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics . So argued the government of Israel before the country's Supreme Court in the spring of 2005, defending its decision to dismantle all Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip and four in the northern West Bank. International Law and the Arab-Israel Conflict: Extracts from "Israel and Palestine Assault on the Law of Nations" by Professor Julius Stone (2nd ed.). Most Israelis support the pullout, but some feel the government has given in to Palestinian militant groups, and worry that further withdrawals will follow. Palestinian critics point out that Gaza will remain under Israeli control, and that they are being denied a political say in the disengagement process. Yearbook of the United Nations 2005 . The Israeli Government was preparing to implement an unprecedented initiative: the disengagement of all Israeli civilians and forces from the Gaza Strip and the dismantling of four settlements in the northern West Bank. During 1982 Israel's government stuck to its territorial policy in word and deed. All the settlements in Sinai were evacuated in accordance with the Camp David Accords, but settlement activity in the other territories continued uninterrupted. A few days after the final withdrawal from Sinai had been completed, Begin announced that he would introduce a resolution barring future governments from dismantling settlements, even as a result of peace negotiations. * Roberts, Adam (1990). The American Journal of International Law . 84 (1). The international community has taken a critical view of both deportations and settlements as being contrary to international law. General Assembly resolutions have condemned the deportations since 1969, and have done so by overwhelming majorities in recent years. Likewise, they have consistently deplored the establishment of settlements, and have done so by overwhelming majorities throughout the period (since the end of 1976) of the rapid expansion in their numbers. The Security Council has also been critical of deportations and settlements; and other bodies have viewed them as an obstacle to peace, and illegal under international law. " 'Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory': A Missed Opportunity for International Humanitarian Law?". In Conforti, Benedetto; Bravo, Luigi (eds.). The Italian Yearbook of International Law . "Israel: The security barrier—between international law, constitutional law, and domestic judicial review" . International Journal of Constitutional Law . 4 (3). The real controversy hovering over all the litigation on the security barrier concerns the fate of the Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. Since 1967, Israel has allowed and even encouraged its citizens to live in the new settlements established in the territories, motivated by religious and national sentiments attached to the history of the Jewish nation in the land of Israel. This policy has also been justified in terms of security interests, taking into consideration the dangerous geographic circumstances of Israel before 1967 (where Israeli areas on the Mediterranean coast were potentially threatened by Jordanian control of the West Bank ridge). The international community, for its part, has viewed this policy as patently illegal, based on the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention that prohibit moving populations to or from territories under occupation. In Bowen, Stephen (ed.). Human rights, self-determination and political change in the occupied Palestinian Territories . International studies in human rights. It can thus clearly be concluded that the transfer of Israeli settlers into the occupied territories violates not only the laws of belligerent occupation but the Palestinian right of self-determination under international law. The question remains, however, whether this is of any practical value. In other words, given the view of the international community that the Israeli settlements are illegal under the law if belligerent occupation... The international community considers Israeli settlements within the occupied territories illegal and in breach of, inter alia, United Nations Security Council resolution 465 of 1 March 1980 calling on Israel "to dismantle the existing settlements and in particular to cease, on an urgent basis, the establishment, construction and planning of settlements in the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem". 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 "Jewish settlements no longer illegal – US" . 18 November 2019. "Blinken says any expansion of West Bank settlements would be inconsistent with international law | CNN Politics" . "Blinken reverses Trump-era policy on Israeli settlements in occupied West Bank" . 23 February 2024. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).