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Israel’s Push to Expand West Bank Settlements, Explained [1]
['Isabel Kershner']
Date: 2023-06-29
Efforts by Israel to expand Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank have intensified this year, reflecting the agenda of the country’s right-wing government and prompting international condemnation of a practice that most countries say violates international law.
Critics say that the expansion of the settlements undermines the prospects of any comprehensive peace deal with the Palestinians based on a two-state solution, which refers to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
Many supporters of the settler movement oppose the idea of Palestinian statehood and view the West Bank, which they call by its biblical names, Judea and Samaria, as the birthright of the Jewish people or as a necessary buffer for the security of Israel.
Palestinians say that the settlements eat up the land they consider theirs for a future state, and often block their access to land they used to farm. They also create a two-tiered legal system in the territory — one set of rules for Israelis and another for Palestinians living under military rule.
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[1] Url:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/29/world/middleeast/israel-west-bank-settlements-expansion.html
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