Over the weekend, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed
the Israeli government’s
support of the settlement movement by planting a tree in each one of the
three biggest settlement
blocks in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Despite the Israeli
government’s support, funding,
and approval of settlers, they are often presented in the media as in
conflict with the state and the
army. In this report, The Real News’ Lia Tarachansky looks at this claim
through a recent lecture by
Shir Hever, an economist with the Alternative Information Center. A
perfect example of the
methodology Hever describes can be seen in the settlement of Kedumim
which lies adjacent to the
Palestinian village of Kaft Qadum. The Real News spoke to the village
council of the Palestinian
village and the associate mayor of the settlement about how they’ve
expanded and the impact this
has had on their lives.