The announcement by Israel of plans to build thousands of new housing units in the West Bank prompted widespread criticism of the entire settlement enterprise:
France, Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain are deeply concerned about Israeli plans to build new settler homes in the occupied West Bank, the countries said in a joint statement.
And seemingly with a view to driving home the perception that the existence of Jewish cities, towns and villages beyond the 1967 borders is tantamount to a war crime, international news organizations cited the “watchdog group” Peace Now, which responded this way to the revelation that Jerusalem had approved the construction of some 5,000 homes in Palestinian-claimed territory:
Instead of taking advantage of the agreements with the Gulf states and promoting peace with the Palestinians, [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] is distorting Israel’s priorities and catering to a fringe minority for these settlement unit approvals that will continue to harm future prospects for peace.
In this respect, coverage of the development has been skewed by the assumption that Israel’s policies and actions in the West Bank are, and have always been, the primary obstacles to co-existence with the Palestinians.
Yet the facts show otherwise.
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Settlement Activities at a Record Rate, Or Fuzzy Math?
The Israeli government’s decision to green light the building of less than 5,000 homes is far larger than the 2,000 units whose planning was advanced during each of the quarterly sessions on the matter in 2019. However, the increase is not attributable to some diabolical scheme to quash Palestinian dreams of independence, but, rather, the discrepancy is the result of good old fashioned bureaucratic paralysis.
After nearly eight months without holding a meeting, the Defense Ministry body responsible for authorizing settlement construction finally convened to determine how many homes to build, which in many instances is done simply to address natural growth in pre-existing communities.
Related Reading – What Are Israel’s Settlement Blocs?
But that did not stop Reuters from trumpeting the words of Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas:
We urge the international community to intervene immediately to stop this settlement madness, which destroys any chance for a genuine peace process.
In this way, the wire service has contributed to perpetuating the faulty narrative that Jewish houses in lands captured by Israel in a defensive war — and which have been offered in sequential peace deals to the Palestinians — are somehow the root cause of the conflict.
Settlements Are Stymieing Peace: Behind the Hyperbole
For years, media outlets have glossed over the fact that, prior to 2017, Israel had not approved the creation of even one new settlement for a quarter century. Additionally, the growth rate of settlements remained stagnant at 3.5% for a third year in a row in 2019, according to data published by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics.
Moreover, whatever construction has taken place has for the most part been concentrated in the major blocs, such as Gush Etzion, Modi’in Illit, Ma’aleh Adumim, Givat Ze’ev and Ariel – territories that most Israelis and even international mediators understand will almost certainly be incorporated into the Jewish state as part of any future final status agreement with the Palestinians.
Related Reading – Does ‘Land for Peace’ Work?
Perhaps most tellingly, news organizations have pointed a spotlight on settlements, in particular, even though many other issues of equal or more import must be resolved before the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is ended.
Contentious points include the Palestinian demand for a “right of return” to Israel for so-called refugees; ongoing Palestinian terrorism and the incitement to violence by official PA organs that promote it; the eventual status of Jerusalem; and the Palestinian leadership’s refusal to countenance recognizing a Jewish state within any borders.
Settlements and the Oslo Accords
The landmark 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinians contain no prohibition on the building or expansion of settlements. The pact explicitly states that the matter is to be discussed during permanent status negotiations, a reflection of the reality that both sides agreed to not tackle the issue in a vacuum.
The notion that Israeli construction in the West Bank precludes the possibility of a peace deal – or talks towards that end – is debunked by the fact that negotiations between Jerusalem and Ramallah were conducted during the entire Oslo process. From 1993 to 2001, the Israeli government announced 21 times that it would build new housing units beyond the Green Line.
Though at times this led to animosity, it can be argued that this was the result of the PA whipping into a frenzy the Palestinian street. That the peace process cratered is largely due to Yasser Arafat’s rejection of a generous peace offer at Camp David in 2000 and his subsequent concerted decision to launch the Second Intifada.
The True State of West Bank Settlements
Despite all the evidence, media outlets continue to perpetuate the erroneous idea that the construction of Jewish homes in the West Bank remains the primary source of Israeli-Palestinian tensions; this, rather than it being a cause celebre used by the PA to paint the Israeli civilian presence there as some sort of colonial-era-like expansionism and not what it really is: namely, Jews desiring to live on lands inhabited by their ancestors as far back as biblical times.
Related Reading – How Strong is the Jewish Claim to the West Bank?
The proof is in the pudding.
Since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took office in 2009, the demand for new homes in settlements to account for natural growth has, on average, exceeded supply, even in settlement blocs that Israel is expected to maintain inperpetuity.
Nevertheless, the media continues to report obsessively on the settlements issue, which only serves to diminish prospects for peace by propagating falsehoods.
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Feature image: Ma’ale Adumim settlement via Wikimedia Commons.
