Settlements negatively impact prospects for securing a two-state outcome to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Broadening Israel’s footprint. Settlements seek to secure Israel’s control over the West Bank by establishing spatial dominance over the territory.
Disrupting Palestinian contiguity. The settlement enterprise aims to break the contiguity of Palestinian population centers in the West Bank, making it harder to create a viable Palestinian state.
Undermining Palestinian trust. When the peace process was active, Israeli government approval of settlement construction (as well as the establishment of illegal outposts in violation of Israeli law) in disputed territories whose status was set to be determined through negotiations eroded Palestinians’ trust in Israel as an honest negotiating partner and cast doubt on Israel’s willingness to withdraw.
Shaping public perception. Signifying an entrenchment of Israel’s presence in the West Bank, the continued growth of West Bank settlements and their normalization in Israeli society stoke doubt among Israelis and Palestinians that a two-state outcome is possible.
Burdening Israel’s security. Settlements in the West Bank require protection from the IDF, as do the roads connecting them and linking them to Israel. This requires a massive deployment of troops to protect civilians in a territory whose majority population is hostile to them. Over one-half of active IDF troops are stationed in the West Bank, 80% of whom are defending settlements and ensuring their security—not fighting terrorism and helping to keep Israel itself secure.3
Exacerbating violence. Settlers are too often the targets of and perpetrators of violence against Palestinians, particularly those living in ideological settlements deep in the West Bank.
3Avishai Ben-Sasson Gordis, “Israel’s National Security and West Bank Settlements,” Molad—The Center for the Renewal of Israeli Democracy (2017), 5.
