Many people say they oppose the Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Even pro-Netanyahu hawks sometimes argue that the settlements are "a mistake," and that the settlers put Israel's future at risk. You often hear pro-Israeli speakers abroad say that Israel's problem is those "fanatic settlers." That's why it's so important to understand that the settlements are a national project, initiated and funded by Israeli government agencies, and not just the work of some rightwing ultra-religious extremists, like so many would like to believe. Even Israelis who claim to oppose the settlements are in practice part of the colonization of…