Brandon Lee
The West Bank is an area of land west of the Jordan River, which was part of the British-mandated territory of Palestine. It is bordered by Israel to the west and Jordan to the east. Since the 1967 Middle East War, Israel has occupied the West Bank, and successive Israeli governments have built settlements there. As of 2022, there are over 450,000 Israeli settlers living in 132 settlements in the West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem, with an additional 220,000 Jewish settlers in 12 settlements in East Jerusalem. These settlements are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this. So, do Jewish people live in the West Bank? Yes, but the topic is complex and highly controversial.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Jewish settlers in the West Bank | 700,000 (2023) |
| Percentage of Israeli population living in the West Bank | 10% |
| Number of settlements | 150 |
| Number of outposts | 128 |
| Number of British Jews living in the West Bank | Hundreds |
| Number of Jewish settlers in the West Bank and Gaza | 214,000 (2002) |
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What You'll Learn
Why do some UK Jews settle in the West Bank?
The West Bank, also known as Judea and Samaria to Israelis and religious Jews, has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East War. Since then, successive Israeli governments have built settlements in the region, leading to a growing population of Israeli settlers. While the majority of settlers are Israeli, a small number of British Jews have also chosen to settle in the West Bank.
The reasons for UK Jews settling in the West Bank are varied. For some, it is a fulfilment of God's promise in the Bible to give the land to the Jewish people. Religious Zionists, for example, view their emigration as a spiritual return and pray for God to return the Jews to Zion. Others may be influenced by organizations like Gush Emunim and the Jewish Agency/World Zionist Organization, which actively encourage Jews to immigrate to Israel and settle in the West Bank.
In addition to ideological and religious reasons, practical considerations also play a role in the decision to settle in the West Bank. Factors such as community size, population, amenities, shops, medical facilities, and the presence of English speakers are taken into account when choosing a settlement. Some settlers have also cited lower property prices as a factor in their decision to move to the occupied territories.
Life in the settlements can vary significantly. Some settlers live in gated communities, while others reside in suburbs of Jerusalem or in small groups of isolated caravans. Despite the presence of violence and tensions in the region, some settlers feel safe and do not perceive themselves as being different from British Jews living in Jerusalem. They emphasize their belief in the two-state solution and anti-occupancy, shopping and eating among Palestinians and considering themselves citizens and residents of Israel.
The presence of Jewish settlements in the West Bank is considered illegal under international law and has been a point of contention in peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. The expansion of settlements often involves the confiscation of Palestinian land, leading to displacement and creating a fragmented Palestinian territory. As a result, Palestinians demand a full Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and East Jerusalem to establish their future state.
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How many Jewish people live in the West Bank?
The West Bank is an area of land that has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East War. The settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this. Despite this, the settlements continue to expand, and as of January 2023, there are 144 Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including 12 in East Jerusalem.
As of 2022, there are over 450,000 Israeli settlers living in 132 settlements in the West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem. This number has grown from estimates of around 500,000 in 2013. With the addition of East Jerusalem, there are 670,000 Jewish settlers in total. The largest of these settlements is Modi’in Illit, which is home to around 82,000 settlers, most of whom are ultra-orthodox Jews.
The settlements are built on private Palestinian land, and they effectively separate the Palestinian parts of the West Bank from each other, making a future contiguous Palestinian state difficult to achieve. The presence of Jewish Israeli settlers in the West Bank is a highly contentious issue, with significant portions of the Israeli public opposing their continued presence.
While the majority of British Jews who emigrate to Israel each year do not settle in the Israeli-occupied territories, a small number do choose to live in the West Bank. These individuals insist that they are not obstacles to peace and support a two-state solution.
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Is it legal for Jewish people to live in the West Bank?
The West Bank was part of the Ottoman Empire from 1517 to 1917. In 1920, the victorious Allies of World War I allocated the area to the British Mandate of Palestine. In 1947, the UN General Assembly recommended that the area become part of a future Arab state. However, in 1948, Jordan occupied the West Bank and annexed it in 1950. Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East War. Since then, successive Israeli governments have built settlements in the region, and as of 2020, there were around 451,700 Jews living in West Bank settlements. This number had grown to 500,000 by 2023.
The legality of Jewish people living in the West Bank is a highly contested issue. While the Israeli government disputes it, settlements are considered illegal under international law. The United Nations Human Rights Council has declared that Jewish settlements violate the Geneva Conventions and international law. According to B'Tselem, Israel is using the absence of modern legal documents for communal land as a legal basis for expropriating it. They also claim that Israeli travel restrictions impact the freedom of movement of Palestinians. Amnesty International shares a similar view, arguing that Israel's settlement policy is discriminatory and violates Palestinian human rights.
On the other hand, the Israeli Supreme Court has stated that its presence in the West Bank is subject to international law. Some Jewish settlers insist that they do not feel threatened by life in the settlements and do not consider themselves obstacles to peace. They believe in the two-state solution and claim that they live in relatively affluent and safe areas of the West Bank.
The West Bank settlements are located in Area C, which constitutes 60% of the West Bank and is under Israeli control. While Israel has not annexed the West Bank, it extends its criminal and civil law to Israeli citizens in the region through emergency regulations renewed every five years. The legality of specific settlements also depends on certain criteria, such as being built on state land and having government permits and resolutions. Those that do not meet these criteria are considered illegal outposts, even under Israeli law.
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What is life like for Jewish people living in the West Bank?
As of 2020, there are around 451,700 Jews living in West Bank settlements, with between 20,000 and 30,000 more living in illegal West Bank outposts. The settlements are largely concentrated linearly, such as along the Green Line, Route 60 through the central mountain ridge, and Route 90 in the Jordan Valley and northern Dead Sea region. The Jewish population density in the West Bank is 78 people per square kilometre, compared to the Palestinian population density of 472 people per square kilometre.
The reasons for living in the West Bank vary among Jewish settlers. One-third are motivated by religious ideology, believing that living in the West Bank is fulfilling God's will to give the land to the Jewish people. The remaining two-thirds are drawn to the region by the potential to improve their quality of life. For example, some Jewish settlers live in relatively affluent areas of the West Bank, such as in gated communities, where they feel safe from the threat of terror. They do not feel threatened by life in the settlements and do not believe they are obstacles to peace, supporting the two-state solution and anti-occupancy.
However, life for Jewish people in the West Bank is not without conflict. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, and peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have broken down over this issue. Palestinians demand a full Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which they want for a future state. There has been a surge in settler violence, with incidents more than doubling from an average of three to eight incidents per day, according to the United Nations. This has forced hundreds of Palestinians to flee their homes. Settlers have also been trying to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, raising concerns among Palestinians that they want to encroach upon Islam's third-holiest site.
The future of the Jewish presence in the West Bank is uncertain. While critics suggest that the number and distribution of the Jewish population make it impossible to remove the settlers, others argue that absorbing this population within Israel's sovereign borders is feasible and does not pose an insurmountable barrier to a two-state solution.
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What is the history of Jewish people living in the West Bank?
The history of Jewish people living in the West Bank goes back to the early 20th century, when a tiny Jewish minority began to arrive in Palestine, which was then under British colonial rule. The area now known as the West Bank was under Turkish rule as part of the Ottoman Empire from 1517 to 1917. In 1920, the San Remo Conference allocated the area to the British Mandate of Palestine, which lasted from 1920 to 1948. During this time, the British implemented land tenure laws that applied to both Arab and Jewish legal tenants. In 1947, the UN General Assembly recommended that the West Bank become part of a future Arab state, but this proposal was opposed by Arab states.
In 1948, Jordan occupied the West Bank and annexed it in 1950. The 1948 Arab-Israeli War resulted in Palestinian refugees, who now make up about 30% of the West Bank's population. After Israel's victory in the 1967 Six-Day War, it occupied the West Bank and began building settlements there, considering the area to be part of the historic Land of Israel. The first ideological settlers arrived in Hebron in 1968, believing that Israel's victory was an act of God, indicating that the Land of Israel should be restored to the Jewish people.
In 1977, Menachem Begin's Likud government intensified settlement activities, providing financial incentives for Jews to move to the West Bank. The number of Jewish settlers in the West Bank has grown significantly over the years, with over 450,000 Israeli settlers living in 132 settlements as of 2022, excluding East Jerusalem, which has an additional 220,000 Jewish settlers. The settlements have been a source of controversy, considered illegal under international law, and a major point of contention in peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, who demand a full Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, as of 2023, around 700,000 Jewish settlers live in the occupied West Bank, considered illegal under international law.
Many settlers regard living in the West Bank as fulfilling God's will, based on the Bible's promise to give the land to the Jewish people.
Life in the settlements varies. Some settlers live in gated communities and do not feel unsafe, while others carry out violent attacks against Palestinians.
The future is uncertain. Palestinians demand a full Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank, while Israel has indicated it is prepared to withdraw from some settlements while retaining others.
