Long a source of controversy and tension, the settlement conflict reemerged into international view earlier this month after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government announced plans to construct 700 new homes in two West Bank settlements and to market property to contain another 5,000. The Palestinians rejected the dimensions of existing settlements that Israel insisted on maintaining under a proposed agreement. They said land confiscations, road-building for settlers and construction of new housing were prime causes of the Palestinian uprising underway since September in the West Bank and Gaza. Despite this, Palestinians and settlers alike say they expect new Jewish settlements to go ahead. This settlement building has never stopped.
Settlements are a grass-roots phenomenon.
No government can withstand the pressure, because inside each Jew, there is a small settlement movement. It's the essence of Zionism. Sharon is an unabashed settlement promoter. Throughout his government career he has pressed for expansion. He rejects proposals made by his predecessor, Ehud Barak, to withdraw from up to 70 settlements as part of defunct peace offerings.