History
What are Israeli settlements?
EXPLAINED FROM SOURCES
The short answer
Israeli settlements are communities built for Israeli civilians on land Israel occupied in the 1967 war, mainly in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers now live in these areas. Settlements matter because they use land that Palestinians see as part of their future country.
The fuller explanation
Israeli settlements are communities built for Israeli civilians on land Israel occupied in the 1967 war, mainly in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers now live in these areas.
Settlements matter because they use land that Palestinians see as part of their future country. Roads, security zones and other infrastructure associated with settlements can also divide Palestinian communities from one another.
Settlement expansion has therefore made creating a geographically connected Palestinian state increasingly difficult.
The International Court of Justice has found that Israel’s settlement policy in the Occupied Palestinian Territory violates international law.