For the first time since US President Joe Biden was elected nearly one year ago, the Israeli government this week green-lighted the advancement of plans to construct some 3,000 housing units in Jewish communities in the West Bank, a territory also known by its Biblical name Judea and Samaria. Under the proposal, mainly new homes would be built, whereas other existing structures would be legalized retroactively.
The decision was panned by the United States, with the Axios news site having quoted Israeli officials as saying that Secretary of State Antony Blinken protested the move in a “tense” phone call with Defense Minister Benny Gantz.
Moreover, the Jewish state once again faced a media onslaught, with virtually all major outlets publishing articles claiming that Israeli “settlements” are considered “illegal under international law” and are regarded as an “obstacle for peace” (see, for example, here, here, here and here). Often lost in the mix was that Israel’s Higher Planning Council also approved the building of 1,300 new homes for Palestinians in Area C of the West Bank, which is under full Israeli security and civil control.
Every time Israel advances plans to build homes in disputed territories, the same dynamic repeats itself: Jerusalem defends its decision amid a torrent of international criticism. It is about as there comes to a pre-written script in diplomatic affairs, a cycle of bloviation that HonestReporting has addressed over and over again.
Accordingly, we have gathered several articles from our archives that elucidate the complexities of the situation in the West Bank and help readers understand Israel’s position vis-a-vis the West Bank.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Inside the West Bank & Israel’s ‘Settlements’
Missing the Peace Train: Media’s Obsessive Focus on Israeli Settlements
Debunked: Those Maps of ‘Palestinian Land Loss’ Are Misleading. Here’s Why.
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