The Jewish settlers in the West Bank, the heart of a future Palestinian state, are among the biggest obstacles to America’s ambitious plans for peace.
Most of their residents are religious ideologues who comprise less than 2% of Israel’s population but enjoy wide and fervent support.
Parties representing them did well in the 2022 election, helping return Mr Netanyahu to office; indeed, he depends on them for his majority.
They have been lavishly rewarded. Five ministers are settlers.
Joe Biden is a self-proclaimed Zionist who has backed Israel to the hilt since Hamas’s attack last year.
His February 1st executive order imposed sanctions on “persons undermining peace, security and stability in the West Bank."
Israeli banks began blocking the accounts of the settlers targeted by America’s sanctions regime.
Mr Biden seems to be trying to drive a wedge between the settlers and the rest of Israel, leaving Mr Netanyahu with the choice of either dumping his toxic partners or going down with them.
Of 10m Israelis, around 460,000 live in the West Bank (not including east Jerusalem).
Most live in urban settlements near the pre-1967 border where they have been lured by cheap housing.
In any peace deal, it is assumed that these “settlement blocs” would be absorbed into Israel.
In return, chunks of land currently within Israel would be swapped into the new Palestinian state.
More problematic are the smaller settlements deep in the West Bank that would have to be dismantled.
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