Borders / Israeli Perspective
Many Israelis believe they have a historical and religious claim, dating back millennia, to all of the land between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea. This includes “Judea and Samaria,” the biblical name for the West Bank.
Many Israelis do not consider the 1967 lines as a basis for drawing borders, seeing them as arbitrary armistice lines that separated the Israeli and Arab troops in 1949. Additionally, many Israelis reject the characterization of this territory as “occupied” by Israel. Others argue that borders based on the 1967 lines are not defensible and ask, why should Israel return territory that it won in defensive wars?
Primarily, the driving considerations for Israel on borders are security and demographic realities on the ground — specifically, Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, and Israeli settlements in the West Bank, that were built since Israel took control in 1967. In total, there are approximately 630,000 Israelis who live beyond the 1967 lines. Often, Israelis do not distinguish between Israeli communities within the 1967 lines and those beyond them.
Boiling down the Israeli position: Israel’s borders with a future state of Palestine must ensure security and include the vast majority of Israelis who live beyond the 1967 lines.
Israeli communities beyond the 1967 lines
