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Israeli Settlements and International Law
(Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs) Jewish communities in ancient Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) have existed from time immemorial and express the deep connection of the Jewish people to land which is the cradle of their civilization. Moreover, bilateral Israeli-Palestinian agreements do not prohibit settlement activity. The prohibition against the forcible transfer of civilians to territory of an occupied state under the Fourth Geneva Convention was not intended to relate to the circumstances of voluntary Jewish settlement in the West Bank on legitimately acquired land which did not belong to a previous lawful sovereign and which was designated as part of the Jewish state under the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine.