What are the Israeli settlements in the West Bank?
Israel conquered, among other things, the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War. In 1980, it annexed the Arab-influenced part of the city, which was not recognized internationally. Although the Palestinians in the West Bank have their own administration with the PA, many parts of the territory are now controlled by Israel. In 1967 Kfar Etzion, southwest of Jerusalem, became the first settlement in the area. Since then, the number of settlers has risen continuously. There are now around 620,000 people living in more than 200 Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. There alone there are around 400,000. Part of the settlements there was created without state approval. However, they are tolerated by the authorities as outposts.
A part of the Israelis has moved into the settlements for religious reasons - God has promised the people of Israel the land as home, Orthodox argue. Another part of the people settles there but also for purely economic reasons, because of cheaper real estate prices and state subsidies.
Israel also has a significant financial and military effort to secure the settlements out of strategic interest. There are 2.6 million Palestinians living in the entire West Bank. They are calling for an independent state of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital. In many places, they suffer from the security measures of the Israeli military and can not move freely everywhere due to countless checkpoints and barriers.
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What does international law say about settlements, and what about the international community?
Internationally, the areas are considered occupied. Under the Fourth Geneva Convention for the Protection of Civil Servations in Time of War of 1949, it is prohibited, among other things, for states to relocate their own civilian population into occupied territory (Article 49, paragraph 6). The Israeli settlements are therefore illegal. The 2003 International Court of Justice also stated in its Opinion "Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory" that Israel's longstanding settlement policy violates international law. The Scientific Services of the Bundestag published in 2017 a detailed international legal assessment of Israeli settlement construction.
In addition to the status of the divided city of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees, the settlements are seen as an obstacle to a two-state solution, in which Israel is to become an independent state of Palestine. The United Nations last called for a resolution to halt settlement expansion in December 2016. In fact, the issue of settlements should be clarified in bilateral negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians in line with the Oslo Peace Process of the 1990s. The active peace negotiations have fallen asleep for years. The Palestinians fear that Israel's settlement policy will pre-empt facts and further fragment Palestinian territory. The formation of a coherent Palestinian state would be made so impossible.
How does Israel argue?
Israel argues that the area did not belong to any other state at its 1967 conquest, Jordan had illegally annexed it at the time. It is a "controversial" but not "occupied" area, so Geneva Convention IV can not be used here. In addition, there have been Jewish life in the areas for centuries. This was also recognized by the Palestine Mandate of the League of Nations in 1922. The position of Israel can be read in detail here.
What does the US panic in Middle East policy mean?
US President Donald Trump has gradually turned back the Middle East policy of his predecessors. Shortly before his death, Barack Obama had passed a non-binding United Nations resolution in the Security Council in 2016 calling for an end to Israeli settlement policy. The recent statement by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in line with more recent Israeli-friendly decisions. These include the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the recognition of the Israeli annexation of the Golan Heights.
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Jerusalem: Eternal dispute over the Holy CityIn June, US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, announced that Israel could annex parts of the West Bank. This is in line with recent Israeli policies: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had announced that he would be re-elected in the recent Knesset election campaign for annexation of the Jordan Valley on the border with Jordan. After the election, however, it is still unclear who will become Prime Minister in Israel in the future. Netanyahu's rival Benny Gantz has welcomed the US decision, but made it clear in relation to the settlements that there must be agreements that serve peace and security.
Critics fear that with the recent US-Israeli policy issues will be cleared and facts created, even before the long-announced US peace plan is on the table. Trump praised this in advance as a "Deal of the Century". He should actually be presented in the summer. However, the Palestinians see the peace process as failed.
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