[Date: Recent]

While the echoes of war still haunt Gaza, Palestinians in the West Bank report an uneasy tension as Israeli settlement seems to move at an unrelenting pace. Israeli settlers are defending their legitimacy while the international community rebukes the hastening occupation.

Israeli settlements trace back to the Zionist movement, starting in the late 19th century, that sought to establish a Jewish state.

These settlements led to the proposed UN Partition Plan in 1947 that allotted over half of Palestine to a Jewish state.

The conflicts centered on settlement reached a turning point after the Six-Day War broke out in 1967 – when Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

The UN Security Council passed Resolution 242 in 1967, calling for Israeli withdrawal from the occupied lands as per the principle of "land for peace."

With the two sides barely able to agree on critical issues including borders, refugees, and the status of Jerusalem, the peace process has stalled repeatedly over the years.

In 2016, UN Security Council Resolution 2334 called for an immediate stop to Israeli settlements in the occupied territories, stressing the need to push for a two-state solution.

Yet, on disputed lands captured during the war along the 1967 border, or the Green Line, more settlements were built.

Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, the pace of occupation has accelerated, according to settlement observers.

"We do know that Israel is planning to build more Israeli settlements in this part of the city. That's the problem we're having in East Jerusalem. But it's also increased further when you go to the West Bank. And the number of outposts that were built in the West Bank has increased since the beginning of the war. It's a number that we cannot even compare [with] the average year that we had before. At the beginning of the war, we saw an increase in the settlers' violence, the indicator showed us that the tension in the West Bank is growing," said Yonatan Mizrahi, head of Settlement Watch Team Project, Peace Now, a left-wing NGO in Israel that monitors settlers' activities.

Maps provided by Peace Now demonstrate how new settlements are encroaching deeper into the Palestinians' neighborhood.

This correlates with a report released by the UN human rights agency that some 700,000 Israeli citizens reside in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, up by nearly 200,000 in the past decade.

They live in around 300 Israeli settlements and outposts.

Amidst the contentious debate, settlers themselves offer a contrasting narrative.

"Today, we have over 100,000 residents in this area. In 1967, there was zero – after the illegal Jordanian occupation for 19 years. We're back, we've returned, we're growing, thriving. This is a 600-year oak tree, and it's really the symbol of this area," said Josh Hasten, International Spokesperson for Gush Etzion, a cluster of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Rachel Moore, an American who chose to make a life here when in her twenties, described the land as "disputed" rather than "occupied."

"We see it as disputed. It was not a Palestinian country or state that owned the land and we came in and we took it. That's not what happened. And therefore, it's not an occupation," said the settler.

Even during wartime, busy construction sites can be observed along the way in Gush Etzion – which residents here refuse to term as "expansion".

"What is the goal of the government of Jewish settlements, I can't speak for the government. It's the goal for people who live here, the goal of people who live here is to increase the benefits of infrastructure for everybody who lives here. The roads that are built, the Internet that comes here, the cell phone towers benefit everybody who lives here, Jewish and non-Jewish. Better roads, more jobs, for everybody who lives here," Moore said.

This viewpoint is, however, widely challenged by the international community.

In the recent hearing at the United Nations' highest court, also known as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding the legality of Israel's occupation of Palestine, an unprecedented number of countries presented arguments.

The majority contended that Israel is violating international law.

Marking its absence in the oral proceedings, Israel denied the allegations and accused the tribunals of bias.

"Obviously, You're not allowed to build on private land obviously, again, it's illegal because if it is not your land, you are not allowed anyway, and you are not allowed, as I said before, if you didn't get the permission, and the building permit, and the housing construction plan and everything," he said.

According to a UN report, as of January 14, 2024, at least 198 Palestinian households with a total of 1,208 people, including 586 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions since October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched its surprise attack.

But citing data from the Israeli security forces, the Gush Etzion settlers claim there has been no significant increase in the volume of Jewish violence against Palestinians post-October 7.

From 2001 to Sept. 2023, a total of 427 Israeli citizens were killed by Palestinians in the West Bank, according to Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem. In the same period, 2,740 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces or civilians in the region.

"In my opinion, and a lot of people in this area truly believe that we have to go back and re-establish those communities for the safety and security. And that's aside from the fact that we believe this is ours, it's our land," Hasten said.

SHOTLIST

West Bank - Recent
1. Various of construction in progress;
2. Man, children walking;
3. Various of Yonatan Mizrahi, head of Settlement Watch Team Project, PeaceNow, talking to reporter; buildings afar;
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Yonatan Mizrahi, head of Settlement Watch Team Project, PeaceNow (starting with shot 3/partially overlaid with shot 5/ending with shots 6-7):
"We do know that Israel is planning to build more Israeli settlements in this part of the city. That's the problem we're having in East Jerusalem. But it's also increased further when you go to the West Bank. And the number of outposts that were built in the West Bank has increased since the beginning of the war. It's a number that we cannot even compare [with] the average year that we had before. At the beginning of the war, we saw an increase in the settlers' violence, the indicator showed us that the tension in the West Bank is growing.";
[SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]
5. Mizrahi speaking, reporter;
[SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]
6. Various of Mizrahi showing map of outposts to reporter;
7. National flag of Israel printed on architecture;
8. Various of people walking, vehicles, road, trees;
9. Various of information board of Gush Etzion, cluster of Israeli settlements;
10. Josh Hasten, International Spokesperson for Gush Etzion, walking, reporter;
11. Various of decorations on tree;
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Josh Hasten, International Spokesperson for Gush Etzion (starting with shots 9-11):
"Today, we have over 100,000 residents in this area. In 1967, there was zero – after the illegal Jordanian occupation for 19 years. We're back, we've returned, we're growing, thriving. This is a 600-year oak tree, and it's really the symbol of this area.";
13. Various of Rachel Moore, settler of Gush Etzion, walking, talking to reporter;
14. Various of buildings, traffic;
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Rachel Moore, Settler of Gush Etzion (starting with shot 14):
"We see it as disputed. It was not a Palestinian country or state that owned the land and we came in and we took it. That's not what happened. And therefore, it's not an occupation.";
16. Various of construction in progress, truck running;
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Rachel Moore, Settler of Gush Etzion (starting with shot 16):
"What is the goal of the government of Jewish settlements? I can't speak for the government. It's the goal for people who live here, the goal of people who live here is to increase the benefits of infrastructure for everybody who lives here. The roads that are built, the Internet that comes here, the cell phone towers benefit everybody who lives here, Jewish and non-Jewish. Better roads, more jobs, for everybody who lives here.";
18. Buildings;
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Yonatan Mizrahi, head of Settlement Watch Team Project, PeaceNow (starting with shot 18):
"You're not allowed to build on private land obviously, again, it's illegal because if it is not your land, you are not allowed anyway, and you are not allowed, as I said before, if you didn't get the permission, and the building permit, and the housing construction plan and everything.";
21. SOUNDBITE (English) Josh Hasten, International Spokesperson for Gush Etzion:
"In my opinion, and a lot of people in this area truly believe, that we have to go back and re-establish those communities for the safety and security. And that's aside from the fact that we believe this is ours, it's our land.";
22. Construction in progress;

[RESTRICTIONS: No access Chinese mainland]