There’s a lot of discussion on this blog about the issue of Israeli settlements. For someone just dropping in, some of the terms may be unclear.
As it happens, the Los Angeles Times’ opinion section today includes a package on the settlement issue, and the editor asked me to explain some of the basic terms and issues. The piece is here, and includes definitions of “settlement,” “Green Line,” and “outpost,” as well as an explanation of the current U.S.-Israel tensions over the issue. (It doesn’t include a discussion of international law, because the package includes a separate article on that, by Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch).
Since I’ve written a lot on this issue over the past month, here’s a brief directory for anyone wanting more info:
On how settlement threatens Israel:
In the American Prospect: Settling for Radicalism
On the Netanyahu government’s sundry arguments against a freeze, and other deceptions:
At the Washington Post: Netanyahu’s Settlement Smoke Screens: Yes, the government does have the legal power to freeze settlement, even if it tells Washington differently.
At the American Prospect: House Hunting in the West Bank.
At Foreign Policy: Unnatural Growth.
And at the Forward: Ignore the Theatrics, Bibi Just Wants To Build. Netanyahu would like to convince Obama that he’s making a good-faith effort to evacuate the outposts. The con might work on a legacy student with a C average named George.
As always, feel free to come back to South Jerusalem to comment.