An unwise fixation with settlement ‘blocs’

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Published: 15 March 2016

Last updated: 4 March 2024

West Bank settlement blocs blocking progress toward Israeli stability – Shaul Arieli – Haaretz 13.03.16
Israel’s fixation with “the blocs” harms its own interests in the long term – the desire to have a stable border.
Read essay here

And see: West Bank “Settlement Blocs” – Hagit Ofran (Peace Now) & Lara Friedman (Americans for Peace Now) – May 2008
It must be emphasised that these ‘blocs’ have no legal definition or standing, either under Israeli or international law. The blocs and the settlements they contain are not recognised by the Palestinians or the international community as having any special status compared to other settlements, either now or in terms of a future peace agreement. For its part, Israel has always left the size and borders of the blocs undefined, allowing their informal borders to grow year after year, as construction has systematically thickened the blocs and expanded them to include settlements and land located at a greater distance from their centres.