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Introduction: Judea and Samaria Jewish settlers and settlements – cultural sociology of unsettled space

Ever since the Six Day War (1967), the way in which the territories in Judea, Samaria and Gaza are viewed has been a central issue in Israeli politics. Even the name given to these areas is a bone of contention and the way in which they are defined by an individual is an indication of his political stance: ‘the West Bank’, ‘the occupied territories’, ‘the liberated territories’, or simply ‘Judea and Samaria’. Large numbers of studies have been, and are still being written about the area in its various contexts. It is a test case for the understanding of issues connected with the world of international relations and strategy, geo-politics, nationalism, public policy, security policy and so forth. This special volume is intended to complement the vast existing literature and to deal with a limited issue that is unique to the Jewish society of Judea and Samaria – that is to say, to the world of the settlements and the settlers. In our opinion it is appropriate to use Swidler’s term, ‘unsettled culture’ here, since it fits this society which, after all, is not isolated from the broader contexts and is constantly the scene of alertness, frenetic activity, readiness to react, and preparedness for what it considers to be persistent threats – from terrorist attacks on the part of the Palestinians to peace agreements that would include evacuation of the settlements by an Israeli government. With regard to the settlers and the settlements – the settler population exists alongside Israeli society, it is located west of the Green Line and its relations with residents of sovereign Israel are complex; it is both integrated with, but also closed off from them. This, for example, finds expression in the fact that the vast majority of the settlements in Judea and Samaria are community settlements which are particular about accepting in their midst only residents that observe a unique kind of lifestyle, the central component of which is a high level of religious observance and a traditional family structure. Therefore the settlers and the settlements, unlike most other communities in the State of Israel, form a homogenous area from the religious, cultural and socio-political points of view.