New Settlements on the West Bank 1982

In 1967, the Six-Day War saw Israel capture the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula up to the Suez Canal. Settlements were created throughout the occupied territories on land, it was claimed, which had been given to the Jewish people by God. The West Bank became host to many settlements post-1967 but, in the early 1980s, there was a huge increase, not least because the Likud Party had come to power in 1977 and won a second term in 1981. The growth of settlements was actively encouraged and between 1981–83 the number of settlers on the West Bank quadrupled. The governmental aim of increasing Jewish presence and dominance throughout both Gaza and the West Bank was achieved; to this day, the legality and morality of Israeli settlements on occupied territory is central to conflict in the Middle East.