ISRAEL - What Is a Settler?

“Settler” is not a neutral descriptor. In English, the word entered common use in the early 17th century to describe people establishing permanent communities in sparsely inhabited areas. At first, the term evoked ideas of pioneering and self-reliance. But during and after the age of European colonialism, it grew heavier with meaning, often associated with conquest, displacement, and injustice.

In today’s activist and postcolonial discourse, “settler” frequently implies illegitimacy, occupation, and even violence. That shift in meaning has colored its modern use, especially in contested areas like the West Bank.

In Hebrew, the nuance is clearer. Two common terms are mitnahel, which tends to denote ideologically motivated settlers in politically contested areas, and mityashev, which has a more neutral or even nostalgic tone, evoking early Zionist agricultural pioneers and kibbutzniks. These distinctions are often lost in translation, especially in foreign media.

Inside Israel, there are legal differences among Jewish communities beyond the Green Line. East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights have been formally annexed and are fully under Israeli civil law.

But internationally, those distinctions matter little. Most countries and international legal bodies consider all Israeli civilian communities beyond the 1967 lines—including east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights—to be illegal under international law.

For journalists, diplomats, and readers alike, understanding that complexity is crucial. No word arrives without baggage—but some carry more than others. In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, “settler” may be one of the heaviest of all.

-themedialine.org, 17 July 2025

Commentary: In the US, as well as most other states on the planet, there is a stipulation of precedent.

For example, Switzerland, the richest, freest, and most prosperous country on earth, was establish on 1 August 1291. When viewing historical maps of Switzerland, one quickly sees how that nation continued to expand. That is the same for every country on planet earth. On the American continent (North & South), the principle of establishment was genocide: Kill the natives and take their land. Take a look at Asia, Africa, and Europe; the same international law was applicable.

Lo and behold, when Israel came on the scene—when the nation was reborn as a State in 1948—that historical law changed. Here we need to consult Daniel 7:25: “And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” That’s precisely what’s happening today: “change times and laws.”