From: AICE < To: [email protected] Subject: AICE Update: Is Israel's Settlement Legislation an Obstacle to Peace? Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2017 11:16:41 +0000 The American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise au. 23u1 Gbeadt E-Newsletter Jewish Virtual IN THIS ISSUE Myths & Facts: Exclusive Mitchell Bard in The Times of Israel Tu B'Shevat THIS WEEK IN JEWISH HISTORY British kill Jewish resistance leader Avraham Stern (1942) Soviet Union liberates Gross- Rosen concentration camp (1945) Israeli Knesset convenes for inaugural session (1949) See More Jewish History Events February 13, 2017 Myths & Facts: Online Exclusive Is Israel's Settlement Legislation an Obstacle to Peace? An international furor arose following the Knesset adoption of the "Regulations ,,,,Myths & Facts: Bill," which grants property rights to Jewish 2012 homeowners in West Bank settlements built on "Palestinian land." Media headlines emphasized this point and world leaders subsequently assailed Israel for a "land grab" that threatens a two-state solution. The wisdom of adopting such a law is a matter of controversy separate from the question of its legality. Most commentary about the legislation failed to explain that the law applies to a small number of homes - approximately 4,000. Moreover, Palestinians did not claim title to these lands until years after the homes were built. As international law expert Professor Eugene Kontorovich noted, these lands were typically state land given to Palestinians by King Hussein during the Jordanian occupation of the West Bank (Eugene Kontorovich, "Israel's Settlement Regulations Bill and International Law," Just Security, December 20, 2016). As the occupier, Hussein had no right to give away the land. Israelis who built houses in the West Bank several decades ago were unaware that the land did not belong to the state; they did not intentionally purchase plots belonging to Palestinians. The law offers