Settlements

Building settlements by Israel in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem has been and will remain the largest obstacle to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. The number of Jewish settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem has skyrocketed since the beginning of the Oslo peace accords in 1993.

The number of Jewish settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem today stands at about 550,000. This large number of people, akin to 10% of the Jewish population of Israel, now lives in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, making it more difficult than ever to reach a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.

The building of settlements and the roads that connect them to Israel has divided the West Bank into small cantons, having debilitating consequences on the economies of West Bank cities and towns. Furthermore, settlements do not enhance Israel’s security in the short term and, indeed, negatively impact Israel’s prospects for peace with the Palestinians.

NewPolicy.org strongly supports President Obama’s push for an immediate freeze to all Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. NewPolicy.org also supports the administration’s assertion that a total freeze of Israeli settlements is the first step to a peaceful resolution of the conflict.