Settlements & Settlers
Introduction
For many Israelis, there is no vital distinction between the Jewish settlements founded before the state was created in 1948 and those Israel has established in violation of international law in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, and East Jerusalem after the 1967 War. All Israeli governments, Labor and Likud, pursued settlements after 1967 in order to consolidate Israeli control over the occupied territories and prevent the emergence of a Palestinian state.
Illegal Commercial Activity
As Israeli settlements are illegal under international law, any commerce or business that profits from this status is similarly proscribed. Many countries have specific foreign policy regulations that bar such trade. This section offers a selection of articles about violations of international and national laws. In April 2004, an EI investigation uncovered that the British government assisted a leading company in the UK to obtain a lucrative contract with Israel which violates UK policy and international law on the status of Occupied East Jerusalem.
International Law
Israel's policy of encouraging, financing, establishing, and expanding Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories violates two main principles of international humanitarian law, or the laws of war. Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, to which Israel is a party, states are prohibited from transferring civilians from the occupying power's territory into the occupied territory, and from creating permanent changes in the occupied territory that are not for the benefit of the occupied population.
Maps & Satellite Imagery
A compilation of various maps showing Israeli settlements, the settler-road system and the impact of colonization on various communities and localities and includes satellite imagery of various regions. The maps show the way by which Israel maintains effective control over land, people and resources in the occupied Palestinian territories and the process by which Israel separates and segregates people in a system of cantons, settlements, so-called "security zones", the separation barrier or Israel's apartheid wall, checkpoints and military roadblock.
Settler Violence
Settler violence against Palestinian civilians and their property has long been a feature of the landscape of the occupied territories. During the Second Intifada, incidents of settler violence have multiplied exponentially. Settlers are almost never held accountable under Israeli law and are 'protected' by Israeli soliders, who rarely take any action to protect Palestinians or international activists against settler attacks. This section offers selected reports on the phenomenon of settler violence.
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