Settlements are Jewish-only housing communities built by Zionists pre-1948, and then by Israel thereafter in historic Palestine. These communities can range in size from single-person outposts or entire cities.
One of the first settlements built by Zionists was Tel Aviv in the early 20th century. Eventually, as Jewish immigration from Europe increased, Zionists began acquiring more plots of land and settling there. After launching their military assaults between 1948 and 1950, Zionist forces, which later morphed into the Israeli army, constructed Jewish settlements over the ruins of Palestinian towns and villages throughout the 78 percent of historic Palestine, which they controlled.
After launching another war in 1967 in which Israel captured the remaining 22 percent of historical Palestine, East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel immediately began constructing Jewish-only settlements in the territories. The UN has condemned settlements through multiple resolutions and votes, declaring them to be illegal under international law. The number of settlers living in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank has grown to nearly 600,000.
Settlements in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank are connected to each other and to Israel through bypass roads, Jewish-only roads that circumvent Palestinian areas. Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank are allowed to carry weapons and often attack Palestinians and destroy their farmland.
Israel continues to expand existing settlements, annexing more Palestinian land to build new settlements. This has robbed Palestinians of the ability to create a viable state on even a small part of historic Palestine.