Settlements

I've been thinking and reading a lot about the never-ending issue of Israeli/Jewish settlements in the occupied territories. As with everything in Israel, this is a really complicated issue with every party faithfully holding to their unerring positions. Right now I'm feeling faithfully in solidarity with those who are continually having their land and livelihood stolen from them and forced to live lives worse than second-class citizens under an occupying military regime, but I hope to keep learning and hearing from people from all perspectives while I'm in Israel.
In the meantime, I wanted to share two news media stories on the settlements. The first is a recent 60 minutes piece, which the source I received the link from (http://www.endtheoccupation.org) describes as "the first time that a mainstream U.S. media outlet has dared to accurately portray what Israeli occupation and settlement mean for Palestinians living in the West Bank and to explain to the American public why this system is apartheid."


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Following is a recent investigative piece by Haaretz, one of the main Israeli newspapers, on a, until recent, secret government report and survey on the growth and construction of all Israeli settlements in the occupied territories.
Secret Israeli database reveals full extent of illegal settlement