Since the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967, more than 140 settlements have been created in those previously only Palestinian regions, in which now reside over 600,000 Jews. These settlements, though illegal under international law, are discreetly encouraged by the Israeli government, who is viewed as hoping these settlements will further Israeli plans for a takeover of those lands. However, they create a point of contention between Israel and the US.
President Trump warns that these illegal settlements could greatly complicate Israel-Palestine peace talks, telling an Israeli newspaper: “We will be talking about settlements. The settlements are something that very much complicates and always have complicated making peace, so I think Israel has to be very careful with the settlements.”
While this is true, the President is certainly not the leading figure in the peace talks anymore, ever since his declaration that the US will be recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. This decision led the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas to say that he will no longer accept the US as a mediator.
But Palestine and Palestinian refugees rely heavily upon US financial aid, almost $125 million to a single organization alone, of which the US threatens to withhold $65m unless Palestine carries out “reforms."
1) It is fair or moral to withhold aid as a political strategy? How far can the bounds of politics go?
2) What could happen to the people living in the settlements if a two-state solution is reached? How will that problem be remedied?
3) Should Israel face repercussions for encouraging these illegal settlements?
Although this is a tough situation, I do not think it is fair to withhold aid as a political strategy. Doing so would just make relations between the US and Palestine more tense. I also think that if a two state solution is reached, the Israeli settlers will be forced out of Palestinian territory. I am not sure if Israel should face repercussions for encouraging illegal settlements, but I do think Israel should stop encouraging them as soon as possible. The more these settlements show up, the more tensions between Israelis and Palestinians will rise.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that withholding aid is immoral as a political strategy as it could be crucial in stopping nuclear weapons development. In this case however, it certainly isn't being used fairly as the U.S. is punishing Palestine even though Israel is the aggressor in the conflict with all the illegal settlements. Since these settlements are illegal, it should be up to the Palestinian government to decide what to do with the people living in those areas if a two-state solution should pass as they had no say about them previously despite their illegality. There is really no way to remedy that problem except to let them stay if they aren't violent, which may very easily turn out to be a bad idea. In a way, that would be a repercussion for Israel encouraging illegal settlements, but I think more must be done to prevent further settlements of the kind as a two-state solution is nowhere in sight at the moment, such as slashing U.S. aid or imposing sanctions.
ReplyDeleteWhile it is definitely fair to withhold aid to Palestine it is not necessarily moral. Even with U.S. aid Palestine is currently struggling, and a cut off of such funds may only decrease the likeliness of a solution to the Israel/Palestine problem. Withholding aid would by physically tough on the Palestinians and it may cause Palestine to believe the U.S. is taking Israel's side in the conflict. It is crucial that the United States continue to support both Israel and Palestine throughout the pursuit of a solution so that Palestine doesn't feel they're being ganged up on. Also, Israel should face some repercussions for the development of these illegal settlements. The settlements are one of the main roadblocks on the road to a solution and in the event that a one state or two state compromise is reached, Israel should have to face the consequences of their actions. In the event of a two state solution, inhabitants of those illegal settlements should definitely be offered accessible solutions and ample time to address the problem. However, Israel must truly value a greater peace above all, and accept the consequences that will follow their choice to settle illegally on Palestinian land.
ReplyDeleteDespite the situation's difficult political implications, it is not moral to withhold aid from a desperate country as a political strategy. Palestinian people are subjugated to inhumane treatment by the Israeli government, and the US's financial aid is one of the only things keeping them somewhat afloat. Without the aid, Palestinian people will only suffer, and this will lead to even more conflict. We don't want to give the Arabs another reason to hate us. If anything, we should be focusing on repairing our relations with Palestine to avoid future terrorist attacks on Israel and the US. If a 2 state solution is reached, the Jewish people living in illegal settlements should move and not encroach on Palestinian land. Ideally, land would be divided evenly in this solution, so illegal settlements would not be necessary. Israel should definitely face repercussions for their actions, as that would be the only fair option. A decent punishment, perhaps, could include paying a fine to Palestine, which would certainly be beneficial for them to rebuild their country.
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ReplyDeleteIt is immoral to withhold aid as a political strategy. Many Palestinians are impoverished and overcrowded, and rely on the US aid to survive. Without this aid, the US could further complicate tensions with Palestine and cause deaths to the Palestinian peoples. Though there needs to be reform with Palestine, cutting off their monetary supply is not the way to achieve it. The current administration has already worsened relations, and this will only further complicate the issue. Even if Trump wants peace between Israel and Palestine, actions like withholding money simply divide them.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Israel should face repercussions for encouraging these illegal settlements because it is already bad enough people are doing it, and the government supporting these settlements would encourage even more Israeli settlements. It is immoral to withhold aid as a political strategy because I believe that these two very different things should not be welded together. Even if a country is behaving inappropriately, the well-being of the people should not be compromised. If a two state solution was to be reached, the people living in the settlements would most likely live under a government that does not represent their interests.
ReplyDeleteI think that the US should not withhold aid from Palestinians because Abbas has a good reason to not want the US as a mediator since the US has favored Israel in the past. Also, Gaza Strip is in a very bad economic state, so taking away aid will worsen the terrible living conditions. I think Israel should be punished for encouraging illegal settlements because it is breaking trust between both parties for future agreements. The settlements are making a two-state solution or any peaceful solution even harder to obtain.
ReplyDeleteI agree with past comments that have also said it is immoral to withhold aid. The US should still be helping out Palestinians and refugees but use another method to get Palestine's president to accept the US to talk about peace making. Withholding aid would do more hard than good. Politics should not go as far as putting peoples lives as risk as many Palestinians rely on our financial aid. However the US really shouldn't support Israel on encouraging the illegal settlements. Israel got their fair share of an independent state and already have more land than Palestinians so they shouldn't be trying to get any more of their land.
ReplyDeleteThe foreign aid sent to Palestine should be kept a separate problem than political issues. Foreign aid is simply something that is done for the sake of humanity. It is extremely unfair to use humanitarian solutions as leverage in a power struggle. As for the two-state solution, if it does pass, then most likely the settlements would be driven out, and the people would need to be compensated for their losses, regardless of whether the settlements were legal or not. If they were not given compensation, there would likely be a revolt or simply further dissonance between the two countries.
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ReplyDeletePeople should not withhold foreign aid because many people need it. It will cause a lot of problems for the Palestinians and they may believe the US is just trying to support the Israelis. If the 2 state solution is reached, the Israeli settlers most likely will be forced out, which would create many problems because they wouldn't have anywhere to go. Creating more settlements makes it more difficult to achieve peace.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that withholding financial aid to Palestine is unmoral. By doing this, the US is imposing their power on a situation that they should not be attempting to control. The state of Palestine relies on US aid to help the country fix ongoing problems being created. President Trump is abusing his power by threatening to cut the money being sent, and therefore, creating more conflict for Palestine. It could potentially increase tension between Israel and Palestine due to the alliance formed by Israel and the United States. Finally, forcing pressure onto Palestine by cutting their financial aid could cause debates and inter country problems in Palestine. The government may have to come to turns with this agreement on Jerusalem for the money. People in the country may strongly oppose this solution. Others may believe that this was the best way to prevent future conflict with the US or Israel. The US could create an even bigger problem in the Israel-Palestine conflict by using the methods they are using.
ReplyDeleteThe settlement are just a way for Israel to farther remove Palestinians from their society. These people are being encouraged to take others' lives away and ensure that Israel will be in control of the one state. This does complicate things if a two state agreement is made. News borders would have to be drawn so that the majority of both peoples get to stay together, or else there will be issues with displaced peoples. President Trump has clearly favored Israel over Palestine when dealing with the conflict, but he's right in saying that Israel should be careful with the settlements. Mixing the people in unwanted space could cause more problems in the future.
ReplyDeleteAs far is Trump is currently going, the best solution would be for the US to stay conservative as much as possible for now. I agree with others that his idea that Israel must have caution with new settlements does have logic. At this point, a two-state solution, which may manifest itself in structures such as walls as borders, may put neither Palestine nor Israel liable for the Israeli settlements left behind. 600,000 Israeli settlers being left in West Bank and East Jerusalem with nowhere to go would be difficult to be remedied due to intense Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. Concerning only a two-state solution, the best option would be for the Palestinians to take action to force out the illegal Israeli settlers, for which foreign aid by the US or organizations such as the UN would become necessary. Because of Israel’s continuations on settling lands in Palestine, it would not be morally wrong to force Israel to pay repercussions, such as giving sanctions or somehow rejecting support from the US. After all, that is 140 illegal settlements, which does not do good to Israel nor other countries in the area. Keep in mind, though, that this is assuming that the two-state solution is still favored and will still work out.
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