We at The Jewish Press have never been shy about expressing support for the settler movement in Israel. We have long considered it to be consistent with, even a fulfillment of, biblical promises.
So we warmly welcomed the Trump administration’s announcement two weeks ago that the U.S. no longer considers Israel’s settlements, per se, as illegal under international law.
Of course, before that, Trump also recognized Jewish claims to all of Jerusalem – including what the Palestinians call “East Jerusalem” – and the Golan Heights. The Associated Press recently reported that Jewish settlement construction in eastern Jerusalem has spiked since Trump took office in 2017.
Most Israeli governments since 1967 have promoted settlement construction, but settlement approvals accelerated in eastern Jerusalem and the West Bank since the beginning of the Trump presidency as Israel has encountered little if any resistance from a friendly White House.
Last week, Israel began work on what is expected to be the largest settlement in eastern Jerusalem in a largely Palestinian neighborhood. According to Haaretz, it involves an expansion of the Nof Tzion settlement in the neighborhood of Jabal Mukkaber. Nof Tzion was established by Jewish investors in the early 2000s, and currently 96 families live there. Although the area was the subject of fierce legal wrangling, that dispute seems to have receded into the background, overtaken by Trump’s actions.
This past Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett announced the approval of a new Jewish neighborhood in Hebron. According to a Defense Ministry spokesman, the new construction will double the number of Jewish residents in this historic and biblical city.
Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif Qaou said, “The decision was the result of growing American support for Israel, including Pompeo’s recent announcement on the legality of the settlements.”
We believe Latif Qaou is correct. But we think this growing American support and expansion of Jewish settlements are positive developments. Think of it as the Jewish people’s “Manifest Destiny.”
