Gershom Gorenberg

The Accidental Empire: Israel and the Birth of the Settlements, 1967-197

17:03 min

Geopolitics & Migration

480 pages, 2006

In this short that examines Israel's contentious position in the Middle East, Gershom Gorenberg reveals how Israel's victory in the 1967 Six-Day War led to an unforeseen challenge: the rise of Jewish settlements in occupied territories. Through detailed analysis of historical records and key events from 1967-1977, the work shows how religious ideology, political maneuvering, and demographic changes transformed temporary military outposts into permanent civilian communities. Gorenberg demonstrates how initial government policies of "enlightened occupation" gave way to uncontrolled expansion by religious nationalist groups, ultimately reshaping Israeli society and complicating peace prospects. The short provides essential context for understanding why settlements remain at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict today, offering an explanation of how seemingly minor decisions and actions created an obstacle to peace that continues to shape the region's future.

Gershom Gorenberg

Gershom Gorenberg is a prominent Israeli journalist and historian who has spent decades covering Israeli-Palestinian relations and the complexities of religious nationalism in Israeli society. As a contributing editor to The Jerusalem Report and a frequent contributor to major publications including The New York Times Magazine and The Atlantic, he has established himself as an authoritative voice on the intersection of religion, politics, and territorial disputes in Israel. His expertise in Israeli settlement policies and their impact on peace prospects stems from his firsthand experience reporting from Jerusalem since the 1980s, where he has documented the evolving relationship between religious movements and state authority.

Chapters

The West Bank settlements emerged from a complex intersection of religious ideology and territorial claims, creating an intractable situation where Jewish settlers established permanent communities on contested Palestinian land.

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