Does the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank pose a threat to long-term peace for Palestine and Israel?

About this episode

Dr Nils Mallock discusses the impact of Israeli settlements in the West Bank on political protest and long-term peace between Palestine and Israel.

Dr Nils Mallock joins Dr Rajan Basra to discuss his research on the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and the effect their presence has on political protest behaviour. These settlements are widely considered to be illegal under international law, but successive Israeli governments have allowed them to grow, and expansion has accelerated following Hamas' attack on 7th October 2023. In this episode, Dr Mallock explores how the presence of settlements can fuel cycles of reciprocal violence, the way in which they complicate the geographical layout of a two-state solution, and what continued expansion means for the long-term future of Palestine and Israel. Read Nils’ journal article, ‘Proximity to settlements in the West Bank shifts protest behaviour toward higher-risk actions and increases perceived collective injustice’, here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pops.70068 This episode has been produced as part of the Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends (XCEPT) programme. XCEPT aims to understand the drivers of violent and peaceful behaviour in conflict-affected populations – and to find solutions that support peace. Find out more at…

People in this episode

Host: Dr Rajan Basra

Guest: Dr Nils Mallock

Topics covered

• Israeli settlements
• West Bank
• political protest behaviour
• two-state solution
• reciprocal violence
• long-term peace

Keywords

• Israeli settlements
• West Bank
• political protest
• two-state solution
• reciprocal violence
• Hamas
• peace
• conflict

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends (XCEPT), Department of War Studies

Books & works: Proximity to settlements in the West Bank shifts protest behaviour toward higher-risk actions and increases perceived collective injustice

Places: Israel, Palestine, West Bank

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