Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, a point of contention in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Settlements
The Latest
-
Community Is The Retroactive Legalization of Israeli Settlements Just?
In February of this year, the Knesset passed a bill known as the chok ha’hasdarah or the Regulation Law. The purpose of the law is to retroactively legalize housing built in good faith, i.e. at the time it was built the builder did not know that the land they were building on was owned by…
-
Fast Forward Israeli Government Defends Law Legalizing Some Settlements
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Israeli government said a law that legalizes certain settlements built on Palestinian property is “a humane, proportional and reasonable response to the genuine distress of Israeli residents.” On Monday, the state submitted a brief to the Supreme Court supporting what is known as the Regulation Law. A private attorney submitted the…
-
Fast Forward U.S. Asks U.N. To Bury ‘Blacklist’ Of Companies Doing Business In Settlements
(JTA) — The Trump administration has called on the United Nations not to publish a database of companies that do business in Israeli settlements. The database, which the administration calls a “blacklist,” was approved by the U.N. Human Rights Council in March 2016 and includes American companies such as Caterpillar, TripAdvisor, Priceline.com and Airbnb. The…
-
Fast Forward 15 Jewish Settler Families Move Into Disputed Hebron Building
JERUSALEM (JTA) — At least 15 Jewish families moved into a three-story West Bank building whose ownership is in dispute. The ownership of the Hebron building, which is next to the Cave of the Patriarchs and known as the Machpelah House, is under appeal. The Israeli army’s Civil Administration, which had given the settlers permission…
-
Fast Forward West Bank Settlers Build New Outpost To Honor Neighbors Killed In Terror Attack
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Residents of the Halamish settlement set up a new outpost in memory of the three members of the Salomon family killed in a terror attack in their home. Hundreds of Halamish residents and their supporters early Sunday morning set up a caravan, as well as tents, tables and chairs and erected the…
-
Fast Forward Ultra-Orthodox Now Make Up 30% Of West Bank Settlers
The growing demand for housing in Israel’s rapidly expanding ultra-Orthodox community has led to a paradox, according to the Times of Israel: the population of the two largest settlements in the West Bank is almost all Hasidic even though they do not have much nationalist zeal. According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, ultra-Orthodox Jews…
-
Fast Forward Settlement Wine Labeling Push Is Reversed By Canada
(JTA) — Canadian authorities withdrew a guideline that prevented goods produced in the West Bank from being labeled “Made in Israel.” In a statement released Thursday, the Canadian Food and Inspection Agency said that two wines that had fallen under the labeling ban did in fact “adhere” to the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement and could…
-
Fast Forward New Zealand PM: I Did Not Apologize To Israel For UN Settlements Resolution
(JTA) — New Zealand’s prime minister said his government still supports a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israel on settlement construction. Prime Minister Bill English’s comments to the New Zealand Herald came one day after the two countries restored diplomatic ties and Israel agreed to return its ambassador. In February, Israel permanently downgraded its diplomatic ties with New…
Most Popular
- 1
News Scoop: Heritage Foundation plans to ‘identify and target’ Wikipedia editors
- 2
Music For Bob Dylan’s biographer, ‘A Complete Unknown’ is a dream come true — even if it’s mostly fiction
- 3
Culture In Peter Yarrow’s legacy, an uneasy blend of Jewish values and personal transgressions
- 4
News ‘Do you have the Torahs?’ Synagogue races LA wildfire to rescue its past and future
In Case You Missed It
-
Opinion What a remarkable Torah rescued from Iran — then LA’s fire — can teach about community amid devastation
-
Fast Forward Israel’s judicial overhaul is back. So are the protests.
-
Opinion After 15 months of war, Israelis are all scaffolding, helping hold each other up
-
Fast Forward Their Pacific Palisades synagogue is standing, but all three rabbis lost their homes
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism