Impact of Settlements

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Despite International Humanitarian Law prohibiting the unlimited construction of settlements within an Occupied Territory, construction only continues to increase, and in areas that are ever more controversial. The settlement enterprise has exploited the resources of the occupied area, including land and water, which are meant to serve the local inhabitants; it has restricted access to farmland, particularly plots located near settlements; it has imposed harsh constraints on freedom of movement within the West Bank; personal security has been undermined due to settler violence, which has not been addressed by the law enforcement authorities; and it has limited the development and construction of Palestinian towns and villages. Furthermore, the violation of Palestinian human rights perpetrated by Israeli settlement in the Occupied Territories is exacerbated by the institutionalized discrimination of Palestinians in the West Bank in favor of Israeli residents of the area.

ACRI seeks to protect the fundamental human rights of the Palestinian population in the Occupied Territories, particularly through public advocacy and protesting the continued justifications for settlement construction offered by Israeli leadership. ACRI refuses to accept the reallocation of land based on racial and religious excuses.