Jewish Settlers: 
Those Who Return and Those Who Remain within Palestine 

Where there is not a history of Jewish settlement prior to 1948, we do not see justification for establishing contiguous land access for Israeli Jewish settlements set deep within Palestinian territory. We cannot gainsay the dedication and faith of the many Jewish settlers who believe it their biblical birthright to reside in “Judea and Samaria,” nor can we fully appreciate the predicament of settler families who will likely be displaced from their homes by a peace agreement; and for this we apologize. We expect the government of Israel, and the world community, to consider their situation compassionately and to provide them with support whether they choose to move back into Israel or remain within Palestine.

We ask that the people and the government of Israel make every effort to accommodate returning settlers with honor and respect. We would ask that housing for 100,000 settlers be constructed within Israel, apportioned among its cities and towns, with locations to meet the commuting needs of settlers who work in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and other metropolitan centers. We hope that the government of Israel, with international donors, will provide financial incentives to more than compensate the settlers who relocate.

We expect that those Jews who choose to remain within the new, contiguous Palestinian State will abide by the laws of Palestine, and we expect that the government of Palestine will offer them dual citizenship or at least legal residency. These Jews should make every effort to live as good neighbors to the Palestinians, and in return the government and people of Palestine should make every effort to protect these settlers from revenge attacks. Jews who remain should be afforded protection under the laws of Palestine as a settled Jewish minority, much as Arab governments have provided their minorities for centuries. In addition, we expect that Palestine will guarantee their unrestricted access to Israel and respect their religious rights to worship at Jewish holy places. We would expect that these Jews will continue to lobby for their interests, and that the government of Israel will do its utmost to assure that Palestine will respect their rights.