Comments on: Knesset vote reveals how weak the settlers truly are

By: Kolumn9

Kolumn9 — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 20:43:20 +0000

Noam, if the settlers are not the problem and are clearly weak then the settlements can be removed in case of a peace deal. This has been done on numerous occasions in the past. Logical, no? Hence, the settlements are not the problem they are made out to be and are not what prevents ‘peace’.

By: RichardL

RichardL — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 20:26:14 +0000

I agree with David that the analysis is faulty. How come Rabin, who hated settlers, allowed the settlement programme to continue unabated? Because he had to.

By: Noam Sheizaf

Noam Sheizaf — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 09:03:44 +0000

@KOLUMN9 – the settlements are a real problem. the religious settlers, less so.

By: Kolumn9

Kolumn9 — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 19:46:26 +0000

It is true. The settlers are not strong politically in Israel. They can be evacuated if the majority of Israelis choose to do so. Does that not actually mean that the settlements are not the problem that the supporters of the Palestinians make them out to be?

By: David

David — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 18:03:03 +0000

This is a faulty analysis.
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It seperates settlers by their physical positioning, rather than by intent.
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The settlers are those who want to increase the settlement enterprise. Whether they live in the settlements or not is immaterial. It’s the intent and policy that matters, not where they live.
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So the power of the settlers are incredibly strong. In fact, the prime minister is a settler and the vast majority of his cabinet, if not all of them.
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What is needed, however, is to end the myth of the ‘isolated settlers’ who are driving policy. Because as you say, they are not powerful. But this narrative is needed to explain Israel’s actions and to soothe the egos of the ‘liberal’ Zionists who prefer to be told fairy tales.
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Still, the power of the settlers is unrestrained and total. This is important to point out, because the definition of settlers isn’t well understood. If one uses the traditional definition and then reads your analysis, one will think “ah, see, getting to a 2SS is much easier than people think!”. This is the conclusion people like Norman Finkelstein have deluded themselves. But it’s wrong. And the recent additions of settlements(including to the most ideological ones) proves this.