If you follow the news from the Middle East, ask yourself the following question:
How many new settlements has Israel established in the West Bank during the last 15 years?
There are non-stop stories in the media about how new Israeli settlements are "stealing" or "confiscating" Palestinian lands. There are a great many stories about how the new Israeli settlements are a major obstacle to peace between Israel and the Palestinians. So I ask you again:]
How many new settlements has Israel established in the West Bank during the last 15 years?
The answer may surprise you. The number of new Israeli settlements during the last 15 years is none. Not a single new settlement was established for the last twenty years, in fact.
Jeff Jacobi wrote a column in the Boston Globe pointing out this fact. Indeed, his column plays off of the report in the New York Times last Friday under the headline: "Israel Approves First New Settlement in Decades".
Last week, the Israeli government approved the establishment of a new small settlement on land which is currently uninhabited and uncultivated. No Palestinians were moved; none were made homeless; none lost their farms or their pastures. A village for small number of Israelis was approved, and that happened for the first time in decades.
I'm sure that if you follow the media reports from the Middle East, you would think that there are new settlements being established all the time. Surely, Palestinians are being thrown out of the homes, right? But none of that is true. It's just propaganda and media hype. It's repetition by fools or partisans of the "received wisdom" regarding Israel rather than a true statement.
How many new settlements has Israel established in the West Bank during the last 15 years?
There are non-stop stories in the media about how new Israeli settlements are "stealing" or "confiscating" Palestinian lands. There are a great many stories about how the new Israeli settlements are a major obstacle to peace between Israel and the Palestinians. So I ask you again:]
How many new settlements has Israel established in the West Bank during the last 15 years?
The answer may surprise you. The number of new Israeli settlements during the last 15 years is none. Not a single new settlement was established for the last twenty years, in fact.
Jeff Jacobi wrote a column in the Boston Globe pointing out this fact. Indeed, his column plays off of the report in the New York Times last Friday under the headline: "Israel Approves First New Settlement in Decades".
Last week, the Israeli government approved the establishment of a new small settlement on land which is currently uninhabited and uncultivated. No Palestinians were moved; none were made homeless; none lost their farms or their pastures. A village for small number of Israelis was approved, and that happened for the first time in decades.
I'm sure that if you follow the media reports from the Middle East, you would think that there are new settlements being established all the time. Surely, Palestinians are being thrown out of the homes, right? But none of that is true. It's just propaganda and media hype. It's repetition by fools or partisans of the "received wisdom" regarding Israel rather than a true statement.
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