The Settlements

One of the most powerful and thought provoking experiences I've had thus far was touring Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Though most of the international community condemns this act, Israelis have been building communities in Palestinian controlled territory in the West Bank, which they dub "Judea and Sumeria." The US and UN have ordered halts in settlement building, but little real action has been taken. There are many reasons for the rise in the settlement movement. Some claim that since Judea and Sumeria were part of Biblical Israel, these lands are Israel's to claim. Some are making a political statement, trying to prove the absurdity of a two-state solution based on the 1947 armistice lines, considering so many Israelis now live past those borders. Some are just looking for cheap housing near Jerusalem. 

An Israeli settler led our tour. He's an American who worked for the NSA, then joined the Zionist cause and moved to Israel to be a part of the settler movement. We began our day at Herodian, Herod's summer palace, and his burial site, which overlooks many of the Israeli settlements. We then took a bus tour through about 5 different settlements. Some were newer, with only about 50 homes, many still temporary as permanent homes were being built. Some, however, were thriving towns with schools, grocery stores, and post offices, and looked just like the suburban neighborhoods outside of Jerusalem. 

The most surprising thing I learned was that most of the construction in the settlements is done by Palestinian workers. However, the workers must be supervised by armed Israelis at all times, and the cost of these guards is usually the responsibility of the Palestinian construction companies. Our guide described the settlements as an example of co-existence, since the settlers live side by side with Palestinian neighbors with few conflicts. He named off many companies within the settlements that were jointly Israeli-Palestinian owned. 

We then visited a nearby Kibbutz,and learned about the resistance fighters there during the 1948 War. Then, we got the opportunity to visit a woman who's son was serving in the Israeli army when he was killed during a terrorist attack. Through this tragedy, she has worked to see the good, building a memorial park in his name and working to honor his memory through acts of kindness. Yet there was also an obvious bitterness there behind her words, and a hatred of the perpetrators which unfortunately extended to all Palestinians. It was a hard visit to the settlements, for here the tensions between the Israelis and Palestinians was clearest for me. Both sides firmly see themselves in the right, and both sides see the opposing side as "other." Yet it was also obvious that there is a wide range of opinions within the groups on both sides, making negotiation even more difficult, since there is little consensus even within one group. The more we learn, the more complicated it all becomes.