The Increasing Role of Settlers in the State of Israel and its Impact on the Political Solution

Abstract

This research sheds light on the role of the settlement movement and settlers in forming Israel as a political state. The research relies on critical and analytical thinking in order to present the settlement colonialism phenomenon focusing on its religious, political, economic, legal and security perspectives, as well as its historical background and its relation with the development of the Israeli society. The researcher pointed out how this phenomenon and the settlers became the core of the Israeli state and politics. Moreover, this research examines and analyzes the origins of this colonial phenomenon, for it is derived from a Euro-American colonial hegemony. Thus, it takes a Rabbinate religious ideology.

Through reviewing, recalling and reexamining the historical background of the settlement movement, the researcher argues that the settlement movement is the framework and the core of the whole Zionist project since its beginning in the 19^th century, until nowadays with the current Netanyahu’s government in 2019. Thus, it is obvious that the mechanisms and reasons of the settlement movement are the same as how the Israeli government manipulates the international resolutions regarding the illegal position of settlement. In addition to this, the Israeli government employs in reinforcing the settlement movement by either legal manipulation or by practicing violence on the Palestinians.

Furthermore, regarding the occupied territories of 1967, the settlers role has transformed from a minor political role to a major and a centric role. Since 1976, which is the year when the Likud political party was established, until now, the Israeli government has been sponsoring and encouraging settlers’ colonial projects, as these colonial projects represent occupation and are a manifestation of their colonial ideologies. However, the participation of settlers’ political parties and the support they receive have increased since. Thus, the major political parties in Israel have adopted this ideology as a way to gain votes in the elections.              

As a conclusion, the researcher concludes his paper arguing that the political resolution to end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people has reached a deadlock. This is because of the greed of the Zionist political parties, for they do not believe in reconciliation or giving up the occupied territories. In fact, the reconciliations proposed nowadays are affected by the extremist Rabbinate ideology which works on a demographic solution rather than a geographic one.