Israel’s Settlements Entail the Destruction of an Independent Palestinian State

Putting aside every other issue, Israel’s settlement policy in the West Bank alone is sufficient to destroy the possibility of a viable Palestinian State (i.e, a politically independent entity with autonomous control over its borders, its resources and the movement of its people.). Since 1967 and its victory in the Six Day War, Israel has developed the public policies and policing strategies to ensure a steady and incremental appropriation of Palestinian lands and resources while also severely restricting Palestinian rights and freedoms. These policies and strategies continue more or less unabated even during so-called peace negotiations such as the current talks initiated at Annapolis in November, 2007.

A basic outline of Israel’s settlement enterprise – particularly when viewed across four decades – makes clear the extent to which settlement prevents the development of a viable Palestinian State [1]:

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