Settlements in the Palestinian territories. Life below the line

Return. History of the Jews in the light of Old and New Testament prophecies Grzesik Julian

3. The first Jewish settlements in Palestine

And it will come to pass on that day that the Lord will again stretch out His hand to restore to Himself the remnant of His people, which remains in Assyria, and in Egypt, and in Pathros, and in Hus, and in Elam, and in Shinar, and in Hamath, and in the islands. seas. And he will raise up a standard for the Gentiles, and will gather together the exiles of Israel, and will gather together the scattered Jews from the four corners of the earth” (Isa. 11:11-12).

And I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all countries, and bring you into your own land.<…>there they and their children and their children’s children will live forever (Ezek. 36:24; 37:25).

Skeptics trace the fulfillment of these and similar prophetic texts to the past, arguing that they were fulfilled during the return of the Jews from Abilonia. However, how to explain the words about the gathering of Jews “from the four corners of the earth”? Three times Babylonian armies carried away captive Jews, but it was only in Roman times that they were dispersed to the “four cardinal directions.” There was probably no country in the world without a Jewish diaspora. And it was “from all the countries” where God scattered them that at the appointed time the exodus of the Jews began to the country “which I gave to My servant Jacob” (Ezek. 28:25). If anyone still has doubts, let him open the Bible and read:

And they will buy fields in this land, about which you say: “It is a desert, without people and without livestock; she was given into the hands of the Chaldeans"; They will buy fields for money and record them, and seal them, and invite witnesses - in the land of Benjamin and in the outskirts of Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the hills, and in the cities of the lowlands, and in the cities of the south; for I will restore their captivity, says the Lord (Jer. 32:43-44).

In the centuries-old history of the people of Israel, it is impossible to find another era in which they acquired the lands of their ancestors on a large scale for money. Only after 1878 was the newly acquired property of Jewish emigrants secured by legally issued documents. These facts cannot be refuted by any sophistical interpretations.

In 1868 Charles Netter from Alliance proposed to open an agricultural school in Palestine. In 1870 a plot of land was purchased and a school was built. The island of Jewish agriculture in the Arabian Sea was called Mikve Israel (“Hope of Israel”). Netter became the school director. In 1879, land was purchased near Jaffa, and the colony created here was called Petah Tikva (“City of Hope”). However, the attempt to create a colony was unsuccessful.

In 1882, a group of students from Kharkov decided to go to Palestine. At that time, the Zionist idea spread to Russia under the slogan “House of Jacob, go, and we will go!” (in Hebrew: “Beit Yaakov, lechu venelcha!”). From the initial letters of this motto the abbreviation “Bilu” was formed. The first group of pioneers, led by David Lewontin, the future director of the Anglo-Palestine Company Bank, founded the village of Rishon Lezion (“First for Zion”). Romanian Jews established the colony of Rosh Pina ("Cornerstone") near Safed (Safed), and near Jaffa - Zichron Yaakov ("In Memory of Jacob").

The Turks created various obstacles for the settlers. Petitions to Sultan Osman Pasha helped little. For the settlers from Bilu, all the difficulties were added to the struggle with poverty, malaria, attacks by the Bedouins, as well as with Jewish fanatics, who until then had lived in the Holy Land at the expense of the Halluki, charitable assistance from Jews all over the world. Fanatics greeted the Bilu pioneers with ridicule and hatred. Jewish Agency officials Alliance from Paris they also persecuted the newcomers, calling them “nihilists” and doing everything to make them leave for America.

Yechiel Michael Pines is a devout Jew who lived in Palestine for 70 years, supporting financially and morally inexperienced colonists.

In 1885, Chanukah candles were lit for the first time in the colony of Gedera (“Fenced”).

Since 1882, emigration to America began to unfold in parallel, where settlements began to emerge on social and collective principles. This was labor emigration, and the settlements disintegrated, as Jews went to work in industrial enterprises.

Beginning in 1881, Baron Rothschild, through the anonymous company “Famous Benefactor,” financially supported the colonies “Bilu” and others created under his patronage. The latter, counting on outside help, did not really care about the economic results of their activities. On this basis, antagonism arose and began to spread between religious orthodoxies and young, enthusiastic pioneers.

Moritz Hirsch (1831–1896), baron, tried to direct emigration in a different direction. He founded Jewish Colonization to Argantina –"Jewish Colonization Society in Argentina" - to support the emigration of Jews to this country. Of the 20 thousand shares, he bought back 19,993. Hirsch made an appeal to Russian Jews, planning to resettle 3 million people, but in fact only a few thousand moved to America. He called: “Give me Jewish propagandists, and the plan will come true!” Hirsch bequeathed his fortune (250 million francs) to the “Jewish Colonization Society in Argentina” in order to support Jewish settlers in the Holy Land with interest from the capital.

In 1889, about 4,000 people lived in the Jewish colonies of Palestine. In addition, there was an old Yishuv (permanent Jewish population) of 45,000, which together constituted 8 percent of the country's population of 600,000.

Jewish colonization before the First World War proceeded like this. In 1908, Dr. Arthur Ruppin arrived in Palestine with his secretary Jacob Ton, after which the “Palestine Zionist Authority” was formed in Jaffa. 1908–1909 from Russia, where after the revolution of 1905 a situation threatening the Jews developed, the second aliyah (flow of immigrants) arrived after “Bilu” (1882) under the slogan “Kibush ha’avodah!” (“Get a job!”).

In 1908, a gymnasium was opened in Tel Aviv, populating several dozen houses surrounding the building with Jews. Its first graduation took place in 1913. That same year, a technical school was opened in Haifa. On the issue of the language of instruction, a compromise was reached: it was decided to teach physics and mathematics in Hebrew, and other subjects in German. within five years it was planned to completely switch to the Hebrew language. 1914 Professor Boris Schatz founded the Bezalel Art and Crafts School in Jerusalem. others appeared educational institutions. Since 1870, an agricultural school operated in Mikveh Israel. On July 21, 1918, the cornerstone of Hebrew University was laid on Mount Scopus.

In 1899, having collected required quantity shares, Theodor Herzl came to London to draw up documents to open the Jewish Colonization Trust bank. 1901 he issued £250,000 worth of shares and the bank began to function normally.

The attitude of the Arabs towards the Jews was generally friendly. 1913 was delegated to negotiate with them Secretary General World Zionist Organization Nahum Sokolov.

Theodor Herzl played a decisive role in catching the symbolic “fish” (Jews) for the Zionist idea of ​​Israel.

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The Israeli Knesset in its first reading passed a law on the legalization of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, built without the sanction of the Israeli government. From the point of view of international law, such actions are a violation, since the land on which they are built is the territory of the future Palestinian state.

As a rule, the construction of such settlements begins with a few huts, but after some time they expand significantly, receive protection from the Israeli army, provide electricity, gas and water and introduce more centralized management, although they formally remain outside the legal framework. However, the Palestinian leadership regularly accuses the Israeli government of condoning and actually encouraging the construction of such settlements. IN present moment they are home to about 800 thousand Israeli citizens, approximately 350 thousand of whom live in populated areas that do not have official registration. The situation is complicated by the fact that settlements are scattered throughout almost the entire territory of the West Bank (which in Israel is called “Judea and Samaria”), which makes the creation of a unified political state much more difficult.

The bill to legalize the settlements was jointly developed by deputies from the ruling Likud party, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and their colleagues from the ultra-conservative Jewish Home party. The reason was a trial in the Supreme Court, which ordered the demolition of the settlement in the city of Amona, in which more than 40 Jewish families live on Palestinian soil, by December 25.

"For those who still do not understand: this law gives green light annexation of territories,” Tzipi Livni, leader of the opposition Zionist Union party, wrote on Twitter about the adoption of the law, which, despite the votes of her party, passed by 58 votes to 50. “Welcome to the state of two nations.”

The state of two nations in Israel is usually called an option in which the territory of the state of Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are united into one state, and its residents receive equal rights, regardless of their nationality and religion. Although there is some support for this option, most Israelis political parties They deny it, adhering to the formula of a “Jewish state”, in which Jews play the leading role.

Most countries, including the United States, consider Israeli settlements illegal. Some observers believe that the settlement law was passed in such a hurry not because of the proceedings over the fate of Amona, but because of Barack Obama's intention to introduce a resolution to the UN Security Council banning the construction of new settlements.

Although the bill needs to go through several more readings for the bill to enter into legal force, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, who voted for the law with her Jewish Home party, has already asked the Supreme Court to “reconsider its position,” since after the parliament’s decision “ the rules of the game have changed." According to estimates by the leader of the Jewish Home, Naftali Bennett, the law will help legalize from 2 to 3 thousand settlements, which are home to about 15 thousand people. Theoretically, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could refuse to sign the law at the last moment, but such an outcome is extremely unlikely, given that it was he who gave the Cabinet of Ministers the order to develop it.

In Palestine, the legalization of settlements has caused expected disappointment: one of the leaders of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Hanan Ashrawi, called it a “mockery of the law,” adding that it is a direct violation of international law and a blow to the peaceful resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

“The illegal Israeli occupation is helping to steal Palestinian lands, both public and private,” Ashrawi said. “This law allows for the expansion of settlement projects [implying the creation of an independent Palestine] and at the same time gives Israel the opportunity to further expand into the territories of historical Palestine.” .

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UN No. 2334, which demanded that Tel Aviv immediately stop settlement activities in the West Bank, the problem of the occupied Palestinian territories remains unresolved. Of the 3 million people living in the West Bank today, including East Jerusalem, approximately 20% are Israeli citizens. And this number continues to grow. TASS recalls the history of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories and explains why the actions of the UN and the international community cannot put an end to expansion and the conclusion of a peace treaty between Israelis and Palestinians.

How it all began

From 1922 to 1948, what is now Israel and Palestine was under the British Mandate. However, then, against the background of the aggravation of the Arab-Jewish conflict in this territory, it was decided to divide the lands, creating two states: Israel for the Jews and Palestine for the Arabs. On November 29, 1947, the newly created United Nations (UN) adopted the Partition Plan for Palestine, and the creation of the State of Israel was proclaimed on the end of its mandate, May 14, 1948.

However, Israel's neighbors, the Arab states, were dissatisfied with this decision, and viewed the emergence of this country as another manifestation of the European colonial policy. Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Transjordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Yemen declared war on Israel. It lasted until 1949, and during this time Israeli troops managed to occupy more territories than envisaged in the original UN plan. During peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine, a ceasefire line was drawn. To draw it, I used green paint, so the border was called the “green line”. Subsequently, the so-called separation barrier ran along its contour - a 703-kilometer fence separating Israel from the West Bank.

The fragile ceasefire lasted until 1967, when the Six-Day War broke out. In the short period from June 5 to 10, Israeli troops captured not only the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, but also East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, and the Sinai Peninsula. Israel was faced with the question of what to do with the West Bank:

annex him, by granting Israeli citizenship to the 1.1 million Arabs living there at the time;

return back under the control of his enemy - Jordan;

allow local residents create their own autonomous state - Palestine.

This issue has become the subject of widespread debate in Israel. Many citizens viewed victory in the Six-Day War as a sign that Jews were destined to reclaim the birthplace of Jewish history - Judea and Samaria, which makes up most of the West Bank. Amid these discussions, thousands of Israelis began to move into the West Bank without any permission from the state or international organizations. However, it was no longer possible to stop them, and from then on any political discussions about the ownership of the West Bank had to take into account the Israeli presence in these territories.

The UN called the settlements illegal, which was recorded in 1979 in the corresponding Security Council resolution No. 446, which read: “Israel’s policy and practice of establishing settlements in the Palestinian and other Arab occupied territories since 1967 has no legal basis and represents a serious obstacle to the establishment of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East." As a result, two points of view regarding settlements were formed: the Israeli one, according to which Jews are only moving to previously uninhabited lands that they conquered during the war and are of great spiritual significance to them; and international, according to which Israel is expanding and colonizing territory that does not belong to it.

Divide and populate

In subsequent decades, more and more branches state power in Israel began to support the settlement of the West Bank, mobilizing public opinion on their side. The country's Ministry of Construction, together with the Ministry of Defense, developed and implemented a plan for the development of the region, one of the main points of which was the creation of road infrastructure to connect settlements into one transport network. Thus, from several scattered settlements, the Israeli settlers became an institutionalized group, fully supported by Tel Aviv. Of course, this state of affairs did not suit the Palestinians, who protested against expansion, including using force.

To end the violence, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, US President Bill Clinton and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat signed the Oslo Accords in 1993, a document that established Palestinian self-government and divided the West Bank into three zones:

A, where Palestine has full political and military control (this is approximately 19% of the West Bank);

B, where Palestine has political but not military control (22%);

C- a zone under complete political and military control of Israel (59–60% of the territory). It is in Area C that Israeli settlements are located, connected to the rest of the country by a road network. The reserves of water and mineral resources are also concentrated there, as well as those most suitable for agriculture land. Palestinians have limited access to all these resources, which greatly impacts their economic potential.

Another wave of resettlement sentiment swept the country in August 2005, when Israel evacuated 8.5 thousand Jews from Gaza and the northern part of the West Bank (northern Samaria). As the number of settlers grew, the infrastructure in the colonized territories also improved: new houses and schools, hospitals and even their own university appeared. In the 50 years since it gained control of the West Bank in 1967, Israel has built some 120 settlements in the area. They are considered one of the main obstacles to the resumption of the peace process. In addition to these 120 settlements, there are about 100 more illegal, even according to the Israeli authorities, outposts and buildings in the West Bank, which occupy a total of 800 hectares of private Palestinian land and represent 4 thousand housing units.

The current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also consistently taking steps to continue the construction of settlements in the Palestinian territories. This is also why he reacted so emotionally to the UN resolution demanding that Israel immediately stop settlement activities. “According to the information we have, this resolution was, without a doubt, initiated by the Obama administration, which stood behind the scenes, prepared the language and demanded its adoption,” the prime minister said. “The Obama administration not only failed to protect Israel from this conspiracy at the UN, but also entered into it behind the scenes." At the vote on December 23, 2016, the document was supported by 14 members of the UN Security Council, including Russia (the US representative abstained from voting).

American factor

After the 2016 resolution, Israel stated that it would not comply with the provisions of the UN resolution: settlement activities would continue, and existing settlements would not be evacuated. Prime Minister Netanyahu promised to do “everything possible to ensure that Israel is not harmed by this shameful resolution.” In particular, it was announced that the country would reconsider relations with the UN: first of all, regarding the size of Israel’s contributions to the UN and the activities of its units in the country. According to the Israeli publication Haaretz, the first concrete act of reaction to the resolution was the cancellation of the visit of Ukrainian Prime Minister Vladimir Groysman to Israel (Kyiv also supported the resolution).

Much in the future will depend on the behavior of Israel's main ally, the United States. The anti-settlement resolution was passed during the administration of President Barack Obama, whose relationship with Netanyahu was frosty. Decision to abstain from voting at the UN White House explained by the fact that Netanyahu’s settlement policy did not lead to progress in the negotiation process.

Donald Trump is considered to be a supporter of a more pro-Israel position: even during the election race, he promised to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem, whose status within the UN is disputed by the vast majority of Islamic countries. The views of Trump and the current leadership of Israel also coincide in the fact that they both have mistrust regarding the Iran nuclear deal (the Israeli prime minister spoke in the US Congress in March 2015 against the agreement on the Iran nuclear program, which was promoted by the Obama White House). At the same time, Trump intends to make peace in the Middle East by resuming negotiations between Israel and Palestine. UN sanctions, according to the politician, hinder the peace process.

"Yesterday's big defeat for Israel at the UN will make peace negotiations much more difficult. It's sad, but we will get there anyway."

Settlement activity received a new impetus after Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state on December 6, 2017. Just a month later, the human rights organization Shalom Achshav (Peace Now) reported that the Planning Committee of the Israeli Civil Administration in the West Bank, a special agency of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, had approved plans for the construction of 1,122 apartments and single-family houses in 20 settlements, and also published tenders for the construction of 651 housing units in the West Bank. In addition, the Israeli government announced its intention to legalize the status of the illegal settlement outpost of Havat Gilad in the West Bank in response to the January 9 killing of its resident Rabbi Raziel Shevach.

So it is possible that under the “pro-Israeli” President Donald Trump, the expansion of the Palestinian territories will continue with renewed vigor, which means that the conclusion of a peace treaty will be delayed again.

"Deal of the Century"

IN road map The Middle East settlement (or "deal of the century" as the Americans call it) states that the US administration approves the annexation of large Israeli settlement blocs in the West Bank and Jerusalem. At the same time, according to available data, Netanyahu proposed to include 15% of the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, Trump insists on only 10%. The White House intends to officially unveil these plans by April. On Tuesday, February 20, the United States notified the UN Security Council that a draft Palestinian-Israeli settlement was under development.

In the meantime, there are fierce international discussions surrounding the situation with Israeli settlements. In January 2018, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley accused the Palestinian leadership of not being sufficiently committed to a peaceful resolution to the conflict. In response, the official representative of the State of Palestine in negotiations with Israel, Saeb Erekat, demanded that she “shut up<...>and realize that the problem is the Israeli occupation and the policy that it [Israel] will continue to pursue." To this, the US permanent representative to the UN stated that she would continue to "tell the harsh truth", the meaning of which: only the path of compromise that allowed Egypt and Jordan making peace with Israel in 1994 and returning its occupied territories would lead to a resolution of the conflict.

However, the intransigence of positions prevents the achievement of this compromise. The Palestinians are ready for a minor exchange of territories with Israel, but at the same time they demand full recognition of the state with its capital in East Jerusalem. The Israelis are not going to cede the occupied territories, and also reject the possibility of dividing Jerusalem. According to Nikolai Mladenov, special coordinator of the Middle East peace process, the situation is aggravated by the fact that negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians are unequal, since the latter are under military occupation.

In these conditions, Russia could play a mediating role between all parties to the conflict, Nabil Shaath, adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, is convinced. But, according to Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Bogdanov, Russia does not have ready-made recipe Palestinian-Israeli settlement. Moscow believes that Israeli settlement activity in the Palestinian territories is illegal, and the chances of achieving a just and lasting peace in the Middle East are becoming less and less every day.

Arthur Gromov

Despite protests, the Israeli Knesset passed a law legalizing settlements in the Palestinian territories. Critics believe that even after creating two states, the conflict cannot now be resolved.

  • More than two hundred settlements

    • Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories

    Is there a chance for reconciliation?

    Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories

    Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories

    Demolition of Amona

    Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories

    Barricades and riots

    Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories

    Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories

    New refuge in Ofra

    Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories

    Forced demolition in Ofra


  • Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories

    More than two hundred settlements

    According to the human rights organization Betselem, between 1967 and 2013, 125 official Israeli settlements and outposts and about a hundred illegal ones were created in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Israeli authorities have occupied 35 percent of East Jerusalem for settlement construction.

    • Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories

    Is there a chance for reconciliation?

    A new Jewish settlement is being built in the Har Homa area, located between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Palestinian representatives say Israel's settlement policies are ruining the chances of a two-state solution to the protracted conflict and impeding a peace settlement. The international community has also criticized settlement construction.

    Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories

    Israel confiscates private lands

    The construction of settlements was prohibited on lands that were privately owned by Palestinians. New law legalized, after the fact, settlements built in Palestinian territories “out of ignorance or on the initiative of the state.” Land owners are provided with compensation or the provision of an alternative site. The Palestinian Authority does not allow land to be sold to Israel under threat of death penalty.

    Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories

    Demolition of Amona

    The new law does not apply to those Jewish settlements that must be demolished by court order. However, it was with the help of this law that proponents of the settlements hoped to prevent the forced eviction of residents of Amona, a settlement in the West Bank whose residents have been in conflict with the Israeli authorities since 2005. 40 families were forcibly evicted, and then demolition began.

    Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories

    Barricades and riots

    The Israeli Supreme Court ordered the demolition of Amona at the end of 2014. The demolition dates were repeatedly postponed. Until the last moment, members of right-wing groups and settlers opposed the evacuation of residents and the destruction of the settlement. Many of those opposed to the demolition of Amona came here from other places specifically. In turn, the Palestinians vehemently protested against maintaining the settlement.

    Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories

    Settler conflict with Palestinians

    Settlers from Amona believe that the West Bank, occupied by Israel during the Six Day War in 1967, is the land promised to the Jewish people by God, as evidenced in the Torah. Today, about 600 thousand Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Clashes occur again and again between Jewish settlers and Palestinians.

    Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories

    New refuge in Ofra

    In total, approximately 4,000 apartments for Jewish settlers were illegally built on land plots belonging to the Palestinians. This is a total of 16 settlements and outposts. They must either be forcibly demolished or legalized according to the adopted law. Many of the displaced settlers of Amona found new refuge in the nearby settlement of Ofra.

    Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories

    Forced demolition in Ofra

    But even in Ofra itself, which has existed since 1975, not all buildings were erected on a legal basis. Therefore, nine houses built on private Palestinian land must be demolished by March 5, 2017. The Ben Shushan family was also among those who would have to leave their home.


See also:

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