
Netanyahu said he would annex the Israeli settlements
Israeli settlement
Israeli settlements are civilian communities inhabited by Israeli citizens, almost exclusively of Jewish ethnicity, built predominantly on lands within the Palestinian territories, which Israel has militarily occupied since the 1967 Six-Day War, and partly on lands considered Syrian territory also m…
Full Answer
Are Israeli settlements an obstacle to peace?
The Israeli government’s position, under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is that settlements are not an obstacle to peace and that settlement expansion is a function of natural growth within existing settlements.
Is Trump’s peace plan with Israel ‘the deal of the century?
WASHINGTON — President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday unveiled what the president has called “the deal of the century” for a two-state peace plan between Israel and the Palestinians. “Our proposal finds precise technical solutions to make Israelis, Palestinians and the region safer and much more prosperous.
What is an Israeli settlement?
Settlements are Israeli cities, towns and villages in the West Bank and the Golan Heights. (We will deal with East Jerusalem a bit later.) They tend to be gated communities with armed guards at the entrances. Why are they settlements and not simply Israeli residential areas?
Why do Palestinians want a freeze on Israeli settlement construction?
Palestinians have long claimed that the expansion of settlements is a way for Israel to de facto seize the land, and that Israel is creating “facts on the ground” that will be very difficult to undo. For this reason, Palestinians demand a freeze to settlement construction before they are willing to resume negotiations.
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How does Israeli settlement work?
Though formally a non-governmental organization, it is funded by the Israeli government and leases lands from the Civil Administration to settle in the West Bank. It is authorized to create settlements in the West Bank on lands licensed to it by the Civil Administration.
Why does Israel want the West Bank?
The Palestinians want the West Bank to form the main part of their future state. Most countries view the settlements as a violation of international law. Israel refers to the West Bank by its biblical name, Judea and Samaria, and considers it the heartland of the Jewish people.
Are Israeli settlements against international law?
The United Nations General Assembly and Security Council, the International Court of Justice, as well as the international community in general have stated Israeli settlements violate the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian laws.
Is Israel annexing West Bank?
13, Israel has suspended its plan to formally annex parts of the contested West Bank territory, in exchange for establishing full diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates. However, Israel's existing settlements in the West Bank, which Palestinians claim as their land, will continue to expand.
Is Israel occupying Palestine land?
BACKGROUND: Palestinian territory – encompassing the Gaza Strip and West Bank, including East Jerusalem – has been illegally occupied by Israel since 1967.
Is Jerusalem in Israel or Palestine?
Jerusalem is a city that straddles the border between Israel and the West Bank. It's home to some of the holiest sites in both Judaism and Islam, and so both Israel and Palestine want to make it their capital.
What human rights has Israel violated?
Israel's continued policies and practices had resulted in flagrant human rights violations and abuses, including brutalisation of children, torture, forcible transfers, and colonisation of land.
How many international laws has Israel broken?
SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS: Laws Violated: Israel has violated 28 resolutions of the United Nations Security Council (which are legally binding on member-nations U.N.
What happens if Israel annexes the West Bank?
Israeli law has been applied to Israeli settlements throughout the West Bank, leading to a system of "enclave law" and claims of "creeping annexation". Annexation of the West Bank would be condemned as illegal by the United Nations and would break international law.
Who owns West Bank now?
IsraelPresently, most of the West Bank is administered by Israel though 42% of it is under varying degrees of autonomous rule by the Fatah-run Palestinian Authority. The Gaza Strip is currently under the control of Hamas.
What is Israel claim to the land?
Evangelical Zionists variously claim that Israel has title to the land by divine right, or by a theological, historical and moral grounding of attachment to the land unique to Jews (James Parkes).
Why is the West Bank Important?
Israel claims historical and religious rights to the West Bank as the ancestral land of the Jewish people. It also says its presence there - especially in the Jordan Valley - is strategically vital for its self-defence.
Who Owns the West Bank in Israel?
Presently, most of the West Bank is administered by Israel though 42% of it is under varying degrees of autonomous rule by the Fatah-run Palestinian Authority. The Gaza Strip is currently under the control of Hamas.
What is Israel claim to the land?
Evangelical Zionists variously claim that Israel has title to the land by divine right, or by a theological, historical and moral grounding of attachment to the land unique to Jews (James Parkes).
Why did Israel annex Palestine?
1:4010:07Why does Israel want to annex the West Bank? | Start Here - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThey have to get their Israeli military checkpoints. And now Israel wants to annex some of thatMoreThey have to get their Israeli military checkpoints. And now Israel wants to annex some of that territory meaning it will extend its sovereignty over land it already occupies.
How many Israeli settlements are there in the West Bank?
There are 126 Israeli settlements in the West Bank (excluding East Jerusalem), according to the September 2016 report from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics. Geographically, these settlements are all across the West Bank. The West Bank is broken down into Areas A, B, and C, according to the Oslo Accords, ...
Why are the settlements controversial?
The settlements are built on land the Palestinians and the international community, along with some in the Israeli community, see as a future Palestinian state. Some of the settlements – especially the blocs – may be a part of Israel in a two-state solution through land swaps between Israelis and Palestinians. One concern, expressed by the European Union, and in the past by the US State Department, is that settlement expansion may make a contiguous, whole Palestinian state in the West Bank impossible.
What are settlements?
Settlements are Israeli cities, towns and villages in the West Bank and the Golan Heights. (We will deal with East Jerusalem a bit later.) They tend to be gated communities with armed guards at the entrances. Why are they settlements and not simply Israeli residential areas? Because Israel is widely considered to be an occupying force in the territories. It is land that Palestinians, along with the international community, view as territory for a future Palestinian state.
Why are the West Bank and East Jerusalem considered occupied territory?
Israel began its occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967 during the Six-Day War. Seeing a military buildup in the surrounding Arab countries, Israel launched a preemptive strike against Egypt, after which Jordan, in turn, attacked Israel. Israel annexed East Jerusalem shortly thereafter, unifying the city under Israel’s authority. But Israel has never annexed the West Bank, part of which remains under military law.
Who are the settlers?
This is a very broad question, and requires a fair amount of generalization.
What is the legal status of settlements?
The settlements are illegal under international law. The Fourth Geneva Convention, which concerns civilian populations during a time of war, states in Article 49 that, “The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.”
What about East Jerusalem? And what is East Jerusalem anyway?
From 1948 to 1967, Jerusalem was divided by the Green Line, which is the cease-fire line of 1948 between Israel and Jordan. Although the city is now under Israeli governance, the distinction remains.
How long did Lapid have to cobble together a coalition?
After Netanyahu's failure to form a government, Lapid was then given four weeks to cobble together a coalition. That window was set to expire at midnight. Lapid already faced a difficult challenge bringing together such a disparate group of partners.
How many seats does Bennett have in the Knesset?
But facing the prospect of another unwanted election, Bennett, like the others, found flexibility. In order to form a government, a party leader must secure the support of a 61-seat majority in the 120-seat Knesset, or parliament.
How long did Netanyahu rule?
If it goes through, Lapid and a diverse array of partners that span the Israeli political spectrum will end the record-setting 12-year rule of Netanyahu. Netanyahu, desperate to remain in office while he fights corruption charges, is expected to do everything possible in the coming days to prevent the new coalition from taking power.
What was the first opportunity for Netanyahu to form a coalition?
As leader of the largest party, Netanyahu was given the first opportunity by the country's figurehead president to form a coalition. But he was unable to secure a majority with his traditional religious and nationalist allies.
How long will Bennett serve?
Bennett will serve the first two years, while Lapid is to serve the final two years. The historic deal also includes a small Islamist party, the United Arab List, which would make it the first Arab party ever to be part of a governing coalition. The agreement still needs to be approved by the Knesset, or parliament, ...
What happens if Netanyahu fails?
If he fails, he will be pushed into the opposition. Netanyahu has attempted to put pressure on hard-liners in the emerging coalition to defect and join his religious and nationalist allies. Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin, a member of Netanyahu's Likud party, may also use his influence to delay the required parliamentary vote.
When did the war break out in Gaza?
But then war broke out with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip on May 10. The fighting, along with the eruption of Arab-Jewish mob violence in Israeli cities during the war, put the coalition talks on hold. But after a cease-fire was reached on May 21, the negotiations resumed, and Lapid raced to sew up a deal.
Where did Netanyahu fly to?
A Netanyahu spokesman said he would fly to Moscow on Wednesday to brief Russian President Vladimir Putin on the proposals. But Israeli-Palestinian talks broke down in 2014, and it is far from clear that the Trump plan will revive them.
Why did the Palestinians refuse to deal with Trump?
Palestinians have refused to deal with the Trump administration in protest of such pro-Israeli policies as its moving the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, whose eastern half the Palestinians seek for a future capital.
What is the plan for Palestine?
The plan calls for the creation of a State of Palestine with its capital in East Jerusalem, and more than doubles the territory currently under Palestinian control . But it also recognizes Israeli sovereignty over major settlement blocs in the West Bank, something to which the Palestinians will almost certainly object.
Who was the first leader to recognize Israel?
We remember May 14, 1948, because on that day, President [Harry] Truman became the first world leader to recognize the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said, adding that Jan. 28, 2020, would also go down in history. “We will also recognize [Trump] for recognizing areas of Judea and Sumeria that are vital to our security and central to our heritage.
Who is the president of Israel?
WASHINGTON — President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday unveiled what the president has called “the deal of the century” for a two-state peace plan between Israel and the Palestinians. “Our proposal finds precise technical solutions to make Israelis, Palestinians and the region safer and much more prosperous.
What did Pompeo say about the settlements?
The Trump administration in November reversed decades of US policy when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington no longer regarded the settlements on West Bank land a breach of international law. Palestinians view the settlements as illegal, which Israel disputes. With wires.
Where are the settlements in Israel?
Most of the settlements are in the West Bank, an area that Israel controls but never has formally annexed.
Why are there settlements in the West Bank?
Opponents see the settlements as part of an intentional Israeli strategy to take over the West Bank permanently. To them, the settlements' presence throughout the area gives the Israeli military a justification for being there as well, and makes it impossible for the Palestinians to ever really have an independent nation. They see the settlements rising in the hills around Palestinian cities — and the security buffers of empty land around them —as evidence that their chance for independence is fading. Additionally, they see the hundreds of checkpoints and roadblocks that the Israelis have created to thwart terror attacks on the settlements as restricting Palestinians' freedom of movement [source: BBC News ].
What Is a Settlement?
Cranes hover at a construction site in the Israeli settlement of Ramot, built in a suburb of mostly Arab East Jerusalem. AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty Images
What does the settlements represent?
To the Israeli government and supporters of the movement, including many people in the U.S., the settlements represent Israelis returning to live in places that once were part of ancient Israel, and where Jews lived in the centuries that followed. But to the Palestinians and much of the rest of the world — including 14 nations belonging to the U.N. Security Council who voted in December 2016 to condemn the settlements — they violate international law and are a major obstacle to the long-elusive vision of a two-state Israeli-Palestinian solution.
How many Israelis live in East Jerusalem?
Add to that another 200,000 Israelis who live in East Jerusalem and about 20,000 in the Golan Heights — areas also seized in the 1967 war that Israel eventually annexed — and you've got roughly 600,000 Israelis or 10 percent of Israel's 6.3 million Jewish citizens living outside Israel's pre-war borders [sources: Myre and Kaplow, BBC News ].
What was the Israeli government's goal after the 1967 war?
In 1968, they drove from Jerusalem to the West Bank city of Hebron, where Jews had been driven away by Arab armies in 1929; checked into a hotel and didn't leave. As the group's leader, Rabbi Moshe Levinger, told an interviewer years later, the objective was to reclaim land that was part of biblical Israel: "Jews are entitled to have it," he said.
What is the holiest site in Judaism?
This shot of Jerusalem shows the Wailing Wall in the foreground, the holiest site in Judaism, with the gold Dome of the Rock in the background, the third most-sacred site in Islam. Daniel Zelazo/Getty Images

What Are Settlements?
Why Are The West Bank and East Jerusalem Considered Occupied Territory?
Where Are The Settlements?
Who Are The Settlers?
What’s The Difference Between Settlements and Outposts?
Why Are The Settlements Controversial?
What Does President Donald Trump Think of The Settlements?
- President Trump’s administration warned on February 2 that new Israeli settlement activity could potentially hamper the peace process, a new stance for a White House that has remained adamant in its support for Netanyahu. Despite the shift in language, the White House said it hadn’t taken an official position on Israeli settlements, saying it would...
What Is The Legal Status of Settlements?
What About East Jerusalem? and What Is East Jerusalem Anyway?
What About The Golan Heights?