The Jewish settlers in the West Bank, the heart of a future Palestinian state, are among the biggest obstacles to America’s ambitious plans for peace.
Most of their residents are religious ideologues who comprise less than 2% of Israel’s population but enjoy wide and fervent support.
Parties representing them did well in the 2022 election, helping return Mr Netanyahu to office; indeed, he depends on them for his majority.
They have been lavishly rewarded. Five ministers are settlers.
Joe Biden is a self-proclaimed Zionist who has backed Israel to the hilt since Hamas’s attack last year.
His February 1st executive order imposed sanctions on “persons undermining peace, security and stability in the West Bank."
Israeli banks began blocking the accounts of the settlers targeted by America’s sanctions regime.
Mr Biden seems to be trying to drive a wedge between the settlers and the rest of Israel, leaving Mr Netanyahu with the choice of either dumping his toxic partners or going down with them.
Of 10m Israelis, around 460,000 live in the West Bank (not including east Jerusalem).
Most live in urban settlements near the pre-1967 border where they have been lured by cheap housing.
In any peace deal, it is assumed that these “settlement blocs” would be absorbed into Israel.
In return, chunks of land currently within Israel would be swapped into the new Palestinian state.
More problematic are the smaller settlements deep in the West Bank that would have to be dismantled.
@B1cameralAlexaDemocrat4mos4MO
“Netanyahu has made it his life’s work to prevent a two-state outcome. They had the effective backing of the United States, or at least were assured of its inertia.”
I am as old as Israel, and a lifelong supporter, except for the settlements and Bibi Netanyahu. My government, now lead by Joe Biden, must end our support for this madness and declare our commitment to a two state solution based on pullback of most settlements, leveraged by US aid. It is time.
@G0vernanceEmiliaRepublican4mos4MO
I am also really critical of Nethanyahu's escalating policy (and coalition partners), but I think the two-state solution definitely died with the Palestinian attacks in October. Isn't it so: From Israel's point of view, the Gaza Strip was something like a Palestinian state where they no longer had security influence and only tried to keep the borders closed for weapons? Hamas used this to expand the entire area and preferably also civilian facilities into armed positions with the declared aim of attacking Israel and wiping it off the map. These extremists, blinded by hatred of Israel, did not care about the welfare of their own population (international aid had to feed them).
How can anyone prevent this from happening again in a sovereign Palestinian state?
I'm not optimistic. A two state solution is a near impossibility at this point, and the only two U.S, Presidents who tried to exert pressure on Israel on settlement expansion - GHW Bush and Obama - either paid a political price (Bush) or backed down (Obama). The U.S. has vetoed every UN Security Council resolution on the settlements except for the abstention at the end of Obama's second term. Too many Americans either support Jewish settlements in the West Bank or, oppose pressure on Israel to halt the settlements. We also saw support for the settlements with accusations of antis… Read more
@BlueStateJoeForward4mos4MO
As a devoted supporter of Israel (except for Bibi, the worst Israeli leader ever, and the settlements), I agree with this, with one critical qualification:
The Palestinians must forfeit their "right of return" to Israel proper. They would preserve their right of return but only to the new Palestinan state.
The proposition of millions of Palestinian Arabs immigrating to Israel is a non-starter, and non-negotiable, because it would be a suicide mission. The Jews will not go like lambs to the slaughter, period. The right of return combined with a dedicated Palestinian state would amount to Palestine "from the river to the sea".
@Independ3ntButterfly4mos4MO
There are many moving parts here. One of the biggest obstacles in the past has been resistance to Israel and a two state solution by the surrounding Arab countries. With the real possibility of normalized relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, the entire game board changes. And there are many other elements in flux right now. Assuming historical reactions in this new climate is not helpful or meaningful.
With no movement, and Hamas determined to continue attacking Israel, there is a ratcheting effect that we do not want to suffer the final breakage of. If we return to exasperated stasis, we come ever closer to direct confrontation between Israel and Iran...with both possessing nuclear capabilities.
@ISIDEWITH4mos4MO
@ISIDEWITH4mos4MO
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