Post-War Ethno-Religious Nationalism and the Establishment of Israeli Settlements: 1967-1975

The Six-Day and Yom Kippur Wars created a political and social climate that was welcoming to the establishment of Israeli settlements. Settlements, which are illegally established communities, first appeared in Israeli occupied territory following the Six-Day War; however, civilian-driven settlements only began after the Yom Kippur War in 1973. I make the argument that the three key factors, necessary for the creation of settlements, emerged following these wars: the weaponization and use of religion to legitimate unverifiable territorial claims, the unique Israeli ethnic identity, and an anxiety about the presence of the non-Israeli populace. First, in an effort to legitimate the settlements, Israelis were consciously creating unverifiable religious connections to certain areas to ensure Israeli dominance over the land. Concurrently, a new Israeli ethnic identity was being constructed around their shared religion, and language, which bolstered a sense of ethnic nationalism. From this sense of ethnic nationalism came an anxiety about the non-Israeli population in Israel, which caused Israelis to feel threatened by the existence of a separate population within Israel. These factors ultimately culminated in the creation of the settlement movement