A History of Settlements

Throughline

NPR

Documentary, History, Society & Culture

4.7 • 15K Ratings

🗓️ 28 August 2025

⏱️ 54 minutes

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Summary

The Israeli government recently approved a new settlement project in the occupied West Bank that would effectively cut it in half. The plan is illegal under international law and has been widely condemned. To get a sense of why settlements continue to be such a big issue for both Palestinians and Israelis, we wanted to bring you this episode about their history that’s part of our series, "The Cycle." This episode originally published in October 2024.

Guests:
Khaled El-Gindy, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C.

Sara Yael Hirschhorn, author of City on a Hilltop, American Jews and the Israeli Settler Movement

Gideon Aran, former anthropology and sociology professor at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem

Avi Shlaim, author of The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World

Diana Buttu, former spokesperson for the Palestine Liberation Organization

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Transcript

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0:00.0	In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.
0:05.0	Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors.
0:09.0	On our new show, Sources and Methods. NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people, helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.
0:19.1	Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
0:23.8	The Israeli government just approved a new settlement project in the occupied West Bank
0:29.2	that would effectively cut it in half.
0:32.1	The plan is illegal under international law and has been widely condemned.
0:37.1	To get a sense of why settlements continue to be such a big issue for Palestinians and Israelis,
0:43.2	we wanted to bring you this episode about their history as part of our series, The Cycle.
0:53.9	There's a highway that runs from Tel Aviv to the northern suburbs, I guess, of Jerusalem.
1:01.5	It's called Highway 443. Much of it runs through the West Bank, and along some parts of it...
1:08.8	...are walls with painted murals on them.
1:12.2	Concrete and brick walls, 20 feet high barriers,
1:16.2	and fencing with razor wire on top,
1:18.7	that separate the highway from the occupied Palestinian territory surrounding it.
1:23.7	It probably has some security justification.
1:27.0	The highway makes the trip between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem faster for Israeli citizens,
1:32.5	including settlers who live in enclaves in the occupied West Bank.
1:37.1	Palestinian residents of the West Bank, who are given different colored license plates,
1:42.1	are not able to drive on most of the highway.
1:45.2	To access one part of it,
1:47.1	they have to cross a military checkpoint
	...

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