The Settlement Movement

Fulfillment of Biblical Prophecy

The Six-Day war had been forced upon Israel when it was attacked by Syria, Egypt and Jordan in June of 1967. It was as a result of that war that Israel regained the Biblical areas of Judea, Samaria and Gaza. The settlement movement, whose goal is to settle these newly regained areas, grew from Biblical convictions. The people of Israel did not seek to drive anyone from their land. Rather, they came in peace, to settle these mountains and sand dunes and to make them bloom again. They built their communities with a dream in their hearts – to fulfill the ancient words of the prophets who foresaw the resettlement and rebirth of the barren mountains of Israel. “But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people of Israel… and I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, and the cities will be settled and the ruins rebuilt.” (Ezekiel 36)

Modern villages, towns and cities have sprouted up alongside the biblical sites so familiar to readers of the Bible: a cluster of communities located on the mountains surrounding Shiloh, where the Tabernacle stood for 369 years; Har Bracha, (“Mt. of Blessing”), located on Biblical Mt. Gerizim; Shavei Shomron (“returning to Samaria”) across the road from the ancient capital of Samaria; and Tekoa, located near the ancient town where Amos prophesied. These communities and so many more are a testament to the deep significance attached to Jewish settlement in Biblical Israel. The Jewish people, after thousands of years of exile, have come home to their Land.

Click here for an enlarged view of the map

And despite the protests of their Arab neighbors and of the nations of the world, the brave pioneers of biblical Israel have remained firm in their conviction that this is their land – theirs to settle and make green once again. Even after the Gaza withdrawal, there are approximately 150 Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria with some 250,000 residents. There are schools, businesses, factories, cultural centers and libraries, universities and synagogues, clinics and shopping centers. The mountains of Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley are brimming with life.

The Oslo Process

Devastation instead of Peace

Since 1993, the Land of Israel has been gradually divided, its most precious areas given to the Palestinian Authority. The seeds of withdrawal that reached its climax with the destruction of Jewish life in Gaza and parts of Northern Samaria, were first sown during the Oslo Process, that series of agreements that transferred land to the Palestinian Arabs. As we contemplate the horror of disengagement, it is clear that the people of Israel stand poised on the threshold of a crucial time in the history of their nation and, indeed, of the world. Will the land remain in Israel’s hands? Will the people continue to settle its beautiful interiors, its biblical landscapes?

More than a decade after Oslo began, we can safely say that Israel has come no closer to peace with its Arab neighbors. In fact, terrorism has continued to rise, as Israel suffered from Arab suicide bombers on buses and in shopping centers. Since the outbreak of the full-fledged terrorism war in October 2000, more than 1,000 Israelis have been killed and thousands more wounded. Rocket and artillery fire plagues Israel’s southern towns, as terrorists in Gaza step up their efforts to force additional concessions. Rather than encourage peace, the withdrawals that began with the first Oslo accords and continued through disengagement, have sent the clear message to the Arab world that terrorism pays. In the wake of this development, it is no wonder that the Arab world continues to view Israel as an enemy nation that must be destroyed.

The map of Israel reflects the staged transfers of land from Israel to the Palestinian Authority since 1993. Area A refers to land that has been transferred completely to the Palestinian Authority (“PA”). These areas became terrorist hotbeds of activity and it was only in 2003 that the Israeli army began periodically entering these areas in order to combat the terrorism threat. Area B includes land that was jointly controlled by the PA and Israel; here, too, most of that cooperation was destroyed in 2000, although the PA is still responsible for all civilian issues in both areas A and B. Area C is still within exclusive Israeli control. All remaining Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria as well as the main roads leading to them, remain within Israeli control, although many are isolated and surrounded by Palestinian-controlled areas.

Unfortunately, the future does not bode well for many communities in Judea and Samaria. With the successful completion of the disengagement plan, more political voices are being raised, both in Israel and abroad, calling for continued withdrawal from areas in Judea and Samaria. This includes the strategic high-ground overlooking the coastal plain where 70% of Israel’s population resides; it includes the mountains overlooking Ben-Gurion Airport, Israel’s only international airport, and it includes the mountain aquifer, one of Israel’s largest sources of fresh water. Many are calling for the establishment of a Palestinian State which would encompass, at the very least, the shaded areas on the map. Others call for the complete withdrawal of Israel from all areas liberated in 1967. In either case, this is a dangerous threat not only to the Jewish people in the area, and to the entire state of Israel, but to free peoples everywhere. For in withdrawing from these areas, Israel will have rewarded terrorism and, as a result, global terrorism will increase.

Freedom-loving people everywhere can relate to the need to stand firm against terrorism and tyranny. Bible-believing people throughout the world can truly understand the importance of these communities, located in the heart of Biblical Israel and how vital it is that they continue to grow and thrive. Christians the world over are called to stand up for these communities and for the brave people that live there. For if they bless the children of Israel, they too shall be blessed. (Genesis 12:3)

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