Are Israeli Settlements an Obstacle to Mideast Peace?
Paradoxically, perhaps the most prevalent myth about the Arab-Israeli conflict is the easiest to disprove both rhetorically and empirically. Consider the 
following facts:
following facts:- From 1949-67, when Jews were forbidden to live on the West Bank, the Arabs refused to make peace with Israel.
- From 1967-77, the Labor Party established only a few strategic settlements in the territories, yet the Arabs were unwilling to negotiate peace withIsrael.
- In 2010, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahufroze settlement construction for 10 months and the Palestinians refused to engage in negotiations until the period was nearly over. After agreeing to talk, they walked out when Netanyahu refused to prolong the freeze.
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President Obama's special envoy for Mideast peace, George Mitchell said the Palestinians were unwilling to accept the settlement freeze offered by Netanyahu because they said it was "useless." He added, "They refused to enter into the negotiations until nine months of the 10 had elapsed. Once they entered, they then said [the freeze] was indispensable. What had been worse than useless a few months before then became indispensable and they said they would not remain in the talks unless that indispensable element was extended."
In late 2012, the settlement myth took on absurd proportions after the Palestinian Authority sought statehood recognition at the UN General Assembly and Israel's retaliatory announcement of the intention to build more homes for Jews in existingsettlements and in Jerusalem.
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