Why the Settlements of Israel Are So Very Important

 Nadene Goldfoot                                              

Doesn't anyone remember what land Judea covered?   Judea was the largest tribe of the 12 tribes of Israel-Jacob, father of the 12 tribes.  When they marched into Canaan, the last census taken by Moses showed that they had 76,500,, and had actually gained 1,900 over the 40 years of the Exodus.  We Jews are their descendants and of the others who were in bondage in Egypt with them, and a few others we've picked up over the generations.  

      East Jerusalem-Arab neighborhood-which is a part of Judea.   It's now populated by Arabs.                                                

              Jerusalem, the whole unified city, located in Judea.  
                                             

            Mea She'arim in Jerusalem an orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Judea.                                           

Rehavia or Rechavia (Hebrew: רחביה, Arabic: رحافيا) is an upscale Jerusalem neighborhood located between the city center and Talbiya.

Since its establishment in the 1920s, the area has always been associated with German-Jewish culture and tradition. The quarter remained an island of German culture and language long after the establishment of the state of Israel and up to this day through the Schocken library (by late German-Jewish editor Salman Schocken) the largest and most significant collection of German books in the country is to be found in the neighborhood.  House of the Head of Government) is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Israel. It is located at 9 Smolenskin Street, on the street corner of Balfour Street in the upscale Jerusalem neighborhood of Rehavia, situated between the city center and the Talbiya neighborhood.

Judea came to be the tribal area where Jerusalem was created and used by King David as his capital as assigned by Joshua after the death of Moses.  It sits in the center of the Judean Mountains.  Judea was the southerly part of the 2 kingdoms into which Israel was divided in 933 BCE (2,955 years ago) after the death of King Solomon, David's son.  The northerly part remained as Israel, only it now had a different King, Jeroboam from the tribe of Ephraim, who had been Solomon's superintendent of forced labor-working on the Temple-so many months out of the year, as time donated. 

Northern Israel  became known as Samaria, which was originally the capital of the Northern kingdom of Israel since Jerusalem stayed as the capital of Judea, of course.  King Omri had founded Samaria, that sat on a hill bought from Shemer (I Kings 16:24).  The site, about 7 miles NW of Shechem, now called Nablus, that has since become an Arab city, was on an isolated elevation dominating a wide countryside.  It happened to be in Jordanian territory in 1948-1967, going back into Israeli hands at the end of the 1967 Six Day War.

Cities of Refuge (illustration from a Bible card published 1901 by the Providence Lithograph Company)

 Historically, it was in the territory of Ephraim, of the 12 tribes  of Jacob, and was a Levitical city, (In the Hebrew Bible, the Levitical cities were 48 cities in ancient Israel set aside for the tribe of Levi, who were not allocated their own territorial homes, but traveled around teaching other tribal members)  ... and a city of refuge and the center of the House of Joseph-Joseph, the special son of Jacob that wound up as the man just below the pharaoh in rank.    The city occupied 25 acres.  Nablus is now a Palestinian city in the West Bank, located approximately 49 kilometres (30 mi) north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132.  44,000 lived there in 1967.  It's been the center of fanatical Arab nationalism.  A small Jewish community had been located there, probably not anymore.  

The extent of the Promised land reached the Pelanium arm of the Nile Delta, the Gulf of Elath, and the Euphrates River opposite Aleppo in the East;  it included most of Syria and altogether covered about 58,000 sq. miles.  This entire area was where Israelites lived under David and Solomon (I Kings 5:4).  Israel originally was  to be in 1920 17,500 sq miles of which 45% was in Transjordan, which is today's Jordan. 

        Within 2 years, Britain gave away Trans-Jordan to Abdullah, a prince in need of land from Arabia.                                               

Settlements in Judea-West Bank.  Held by occupying Jordan, they came back to Judea's rule-now Israel once again, with newer villages, towns and cities developed before and after Israel's birth of April 14, 1958.  

Our history lies within Judea and Samaria. This is the center of our homeland.  Britain cut our heart out when they divvied up Palestine in 1922, and it lies a few yards away from our border.  Whatever was Britain thinking when they gave it all away after being given to responsibility to help create the Jewish Homeland?  I can tell you what.  It was not about Jews or creating their homeland.  

                        nine miles distance on e and f  to coastline                        

                                                  

 Today's geography of Israel covers much less land, and much of Judah is now called Judea-Samaria by the Israelis, and West Bank named by Jordan.  Judah had become Judea by the Roman occupation and destruction of the Temple and the city.  The name, West Bank by the occupation of Jordan's eastern side of the Jordan River, and then the naming of the Western side, as West Bank. 

Who can even find Jerusalem on a map?  People   aren't being educated in the history of the Middle East let alone Israel's history. Many Jews are not even celebrating our many holidays that keep the culture together.  The most they know might be to eat bagels, or even to wear a star of David around their neck.  Like Alan Dershowitz wrote long ago, the American Jew is vanishing!  We're being assimilated!  What are the remnants of our culture?  Not our religion!  How many can recite as much as Alan Dershowitz of both history and our religion?  

I'm finding that there are Jews in the world who do not know their history, who live in homes in Europe and USA  who are living an entirely different life from the Jews of Israel.  Jews of Israel had reason to make aliyah, who wanted to keep their religion and its customs and beliefs  alive.  Such people as those belonging to J Street profess to back Israel, but what they call "backing" is slashing Israel, giving cause for anti-Semitism towards Israel by Jews and Gentiles alike. There is no excuse for this.

                                        

     Technion in Haifa.  The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology is a public research university located in Haifa, Israel. Established in 1912 under the dominion of the Ottoman Empire, the Technion is the oldest university in the country.  The Technion is ranked as the top university in both Israel and the Middle East, and in the top 100 universities in the world in the Academic Ranking of World Universities of 2019.

I ask, "What makes American Jews such as J Street think they are smarter than the Jews of Israel?  How would they like it if all the European gentiles told USA what to do and think?  J street's weak excuse is that they, as the family see better ways, better roads to follow.  They are not living there.  They have no idea of what they think.  All they do is criticize.  It has to do with more of what people think of the American Jew than what is best for Israel.  They know not what Jews in Israel experience for they are not walking a mile in their shoes. The admonition to walk a mile in someone else's shoes means before judging someone, you must understand his experiences, challenges, thought processes, etc. The full idiom is: Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes. In effect, it is a reminder to practice empathy.

                                        

       In front of the Knesset is the menorah

In fact, Israelis are their own biggest criticizers.  It's inborn.  They are constantly measuring their efforts religiously comparing to the 613 commandments.  Americans are of a different breed; few are religiously in tune with their land like the Israelis are.  I know.  I made aliyah in 1980, and saw the change in myself.  I saw the world in a  different lens, especially where I lived in Safed.  I know there are things that happen that never reach the ears of American Jews.  We are so lucky to have remnants of our people after the Holocaust who are intelligent and can make excellent decisions.  Those survivors have made it to Israel as well as the rest of the land, in teeny tiny numbers, but they are here.  Genes, environment, it all makes up a people.  Israelis have experienced more than the Americans, believe. me , in survival.   If the Israeli had given up their right to decide and followed the couch potatoes advice,, there would be no more Israel.  Give them the respect and honor of doing so, baruch hashem.  They know the spotlight is always on them, with an audience of hatred and envy,  just waiting for them to forget their lines and goof it up.  

Such settlements that Americans, even my favorite fighter for Israel, Alan Dershowitz, is against Israeli Settlements, so I guess I'm to the right of Alan.  

                                             

 Ariel is what is called an urban Israeli "settlement" but is a city in the central West Bank- of Samaria, part of the Israeli-criticized territories, approximately 20 kilometres (about 15 miles) east of the Green Line and 34 kilometres west of the Jordan border.

Ariel was founded in 1978 on land that was used for military needs and on land that was declared state land, including cultivated farmland of Palestinian villages in the district and on rocky land the villagers used for grazing their flocks. At the beginning of 1978, a group of Israelis formed in order to create a settlement in the hills of the northern part of the West Bank, and  made a formal request to the government to be given land to build a new community and were given three options by the army; the area near the 'lone tree' which would later become Barkan, the area which would later become Kfar Tapuach, and a hill near Kifl Hares that was known to the local Arabs as 'Jabel Mawat', the hill of death, because of inhospitable terrain. The leader of this group, Ron Nachman, chose the latter because of its strategic location on a possible Jordanian invasion route towards Israel's main population centre of Tel Aviv. 

In the spring of 1978, some of the group's men erected tents on the chosen hilltop, and in August 1978, a total of forty families came to live in the settlement.  From 1978 to 1988, Ariel continued to develop, and established itself as the urban center for the nearby Jewish settlements. In 1980, the prefabricated homes were replaced with permanent housing. 

The College of Judea and Samaria, which would later become the Ariel University Center of Samaria, and eventually Ariel University, was founded in 1982, now 40 years old.   Three elementary schools, a community center, a sports hall, and a synagogue were built. In May 1982, Ariel was connected to the national power grid.

During the mass immigration of Jews from Soviet Union that began in 1989 and continued throughout the 1990s, Ariel, which had a population of 8,000 in 1990, experienced a population boom. Unlike in Israel proper, apartments in Ariel were plentiful and cheap, which proved attractive to the immigrants. Some 6,000 Soviet immigrants moved to Ariel, almost doubling its population.

In 2005, the residents of Netzarim, a former Israeli settlement in the Gaza Strip which had been evacuated, found temporary housing in the dormitories of the Ariel University Center of Samaria. At the beginning of the academic year, about one-third chose to settle permanently in Ariel, while the rest moved to Yevul. 

In 2007, the city began receiving immigrants from English-speaking countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and South Africa in significant numbers.

Nachman, a central figure in the Likud party, presided over Ariel from 1978 until his death in January 2013, at first as head of the local council and as mayor from 1985, when the settlement was officially recognized as a city. Both religious and secular Jews reside in Ariel. The city has sixteen synagogues.

 In January 2010, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accompanied by leading figures in his governing coalition, declared Ariel the "capital of Samaria", and "an integral part of Israel". In December 2010, thirty-five MKs petitioned the government to annex Ariel to Israel. 

Palestinian representatives have opposed the incorporation of Ariel into Israel in any future settlement, arguing that the Ariel 'finger' would interrupt the territorial integrity of a Palestinian state and includes a major aquifer. Ariel's future is thus not clear: "as well as an obstacle to an Israeli-Palestinian agreement, it could also serve as a crucial trade-off for negotiators hammering out a final deal". The population is 20,540.  

Ariel is one city in Judea-Samaria.  Betar Illit, Ma' ale Audumim and Modi'in Illit are others at city sizes.  As Jews are treated with hatred, they can find refuge in Israel.  The world is causing such cities to begin and to grow.

  Another "settlement,"  Modi'in Illit

Why are settlement of Israel so very important?  Unlike American history, these are in the land of our fathers, our history, our blood.  They are built in our ancient homeland, land that was to again become ours..We had a civilization here that was destroyed by the Romans.  We are Judea and Samaria's indigenous people.    To forget our history would be to forget the reason for being, for living, We love this land for it holds our hearts and souls. To hear the names of past lives and places makes our hearts pound faster.  That's why these people dared to enter Judea and Samaria and settle down; to care for it.  

Resource;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHAEKYBm8gc- debate with Alan Dershowitz and Jeremy Ben Ami, president of J Street= which I saw on YouTube accidently; a hot and heavy debate.  I cheer on Alan's passion in defense of Israel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AReBKzAVaNw--another debate between Dershowitz and Ben Ami, serious debate, hot and passionate, found on Youtube.  

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judea_and_Samaria_Area

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levitical_city

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beit_Aghion#:~:text=House%20of%20the%20Head%20of,center%20and%20the%20Talbiya%20neighborhood.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mea_Shearim

Judea and Samaria's Area C: The Jewish Designation Areas city, ARIEL -Just Attacked

 Nadene Goldfoot                                             

The Oslo II Accord divided the West Bank into three administrative divisions: the Areas A, B and C. The distinct areas were given a different status, according to the amount of self-government the local Palestinians would have over it through the Palestinian Authority, until a final status accord would be established.

MOST OF geographic Judea and Samaria (60% of the area) is designated Area C, over which Israel has exclusive jurisdiction both administratively and in security matters. Area C's distinguishing characteristic is that it is sparsely populated – by Arab or Jewish inhabitants.

Area C was defined as "areas of the West Bank outside Areas A and B, which, except for the issues that will be negotiated in the permanent status negotiations, will be gradually transferred to Palestinian jurisdiction in accordance with this Agreement."

Area C was initially around 72–74% (first phase, 1995) of the West Bank. Under the 1998 Wye River Memorandum, Israel would further withdraw from some additional 13% from Area C to Area B, which officially reduced Area C to circa 61% of the West Bank. Israel, however, withdrew from only 2%, and during Operation Defensive Shield, it reoccupied all territory. 

As of 2013, Area C formally comprised about 63% of the West Bank, including settlements, outposts and declared "state land". Including or excluding East Jerusalem, no-man's land and the Palestinian part of the Dead Sea also determines the percentage.

Arabs are reported to have been building homes in Area C and have not been stopped.  

                                                

Ariel is one such city.  It was just attacked, and the guard, a Russian oleh, was killed while shielding his girlfriend, whom he saved.  Ariel is  (12 mi) east of the Green Line and (21 mi) west of the Jordan border. it's also  (26 mi) east of Tel Aviv to which it is connected by the Highway 5 and (37 mi) northwest of Jerusalem, to which it is connected by Highway 60.

      Note:  Apartment buildings...shortage of land...

Founded in 1978, from 1978 to 1988, Ariel continued to develop, and established itself as the urban center for the nearby Jewish settlements. In 1980, the prefabricated homes were replaced with permanent housing. 

                              Ariel University

The College of Judea and Samaria, which would later become the Ariel University Center of Samaria, and eventually Ariel University, was founded in 1982. Three elementary schools, a community center, a sports hall, and a synagogue were built. In May 1982, Ariel was connected to the national power grid. They have a population of 20,540.

For comparison, Forest Grove, Oregon  in 2010 had about 20,000.  

                      A neighborhood in Ariel.  

The city has several shopping centres and two industrial zones (divided into light and heavy industry), a library. In July 2008, Israel approved the construction of 27 new factories, which were expected to be completed by September 2009.

 Area A comprises approximately 18% of the West Bank and Area B about 22%, together home to some 2.8 million Palestinians.

Resource:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariel_(city)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_C_(West_Bank)

How the English Language Plays Into Politics of Israel and Palestine--Do You Live in a settlement, hamlet, village, town or city?

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                 

The term "Judea and Samaria" was officially adopted by Israel in 1967

Notice that Judea and Samaria, the original names of our ancient Jewish empires, have been misnamed as West Bank, which started with Jordan, meaning west of the Jordan River.  The Emirate Transjordan was accepted by England in 1921 out of the legalized Jewish Homeland, a loss of 80% of the Jewish Homeland, a change in promised policy.  It was given to Abdullah, 2nd son of Hussein, sherif of Mecca,  who had supported Britain during WWI so he could be a king and have his own emirate.  It was renamed Jordan in 1946. In 1948 he took the Arab land of Palestine meant to belong to Jews for Israel.  This was original land that the Bible lists to become Israel.   Jordan helped themselves to the land which was designated as part of the Jewish Homeland when Israel was fighting for its life in the 1947-1949 War of Independence. Quotas were put on Jews' entrance even when allowed into Palestine. This kept the Jewish numbers down in Palestine.

The term "Judea and Samaria" was officially adopted by Israel in 1967 when the Israeli military government issued an order that stated, "the term “Judea and Samaria region” shall be identical in meaning for all purposes to the term “the West Bank Region”". However, the term was rarely used until 1977 when Menachem Begin, a proponent of extending Israel's sovereignty to the region, became Prime Minister.

Much ado has been going on over what is called "Israel's settlements."  Here, the Left is referring to the building of apartments or homes that are being built in Judea and Samaria, the ancient sites of Israel and Judah that Israel won back in the 1967 war.  It seems that only Israel cares about the fact that this land was deemed to be a part of the Jewish Homeland through the direction of the League of Nations in 1920, a decision due to the end of WWI and the Ottoman Empire losing their land to the Allies in this war.  On the other hand, the Arabs of the Middle East have never accepted this ruling and still think it belongs to not the Turks of the Ottoman Empire but to them exclusively, and the powers of the Western nations have allowed the world to condescend to this lie.  Today we see ISIS/ISIL taking the stand that Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Israel have wrongly been created by the League of Nations' decisions in creating states out of the empire.  Note that information in English will refer to Jewish cities as settlements and Arab cities as towns or cities.  This shows a strong bias.

The noun, settlements, denotes a temporary dwelling.  Nowhere should the term be used in talking about the Jewish communities in Israel or Judea and Samaria.  They are not created to be only temporary. In driving my car from Safed to Tel Aviv, I passed Bedouin tents along the side of the road.  Now that's temporary.  They have been nomads and many still are.  The misuse comes from the USA's western use of the term.  In 1862 the USA passed the Homestead Act in which the government gave away 160 acres to individuals free if they would settle on it and cultivate it for 5 years..

 The word was popular in talking about the settling of the western part of the United States in the 1800's when describing the whites' living spaces being attacked by the Indians.  It's been used to describe the housing developments created by the Jews who have returned to living in Israel.  Remember, the Jewish Homeland was created and sanctioned by not only the League of Nations after much haggling with the Balfour Declaration, but through the United Nations in 1948.  As far as world consensus of the time, Jews had won the right to have their own state once again after being a homeless people, a people with their own unique language of Hebrew, their own religion of Judaism, and had been victimized by pogroms, hatred, and finally, a holocaust of gigantic proportions that slaughtered 6 million of their people.  It is only today that 6 million Jews populate Israel, showing how big a number that is, and that number has been reduced by constant wars in the region.

The word, settlements,  has been used on purpose by Israel's opposition to keep people thinking that they are only temporary-recently having moved there, and will be easy to chase out, like the western American squatters were.  Squatters were people who just parked themselves on the land without buying it.  They had no permission to be there.  They would be chased out by those that had title to the land.  The Jews who have moved in Judea and Samaria have had the permission of the Israeli government.  The government under Begin even encouraged Israelis to move there after 1967.  Through the Oslo agreements, the land gained in 1967 by Israel was divided into 3 zones; one for Jewish settlement, one for Arab settlement and one for both.  This is referred to as the green zones.
                                                                           

                                       American Hamlet
A settlement, according to the Webster's Dictionary is: a place or region NEWLY settled; a small village,  A settler is one who settles in a new region.

A hamlet is a small village.  "A hamlet is a small settlement, too small to be considered a village. The name comes from the diminutive of a Germanic word for an enclosed piece of land or pasture. " It usually refers to a small settlement in a rural area, or a component of a larger settlement or municipality. Hamlets are typically unincorporated communities. Countries have their personal definition, such as France-During the 18th century, for rich or noble people, it was up-to-date to create their own hameau (hamlet) in their gardens. They were a group of some houses or farms with rustic appearance, but in fact very comfortable.  In Switzerland-A hamlet is always part of a larger municipality or may be shared between two municipalities. The difference between a hamlet and a village is that typically a hamlet lacks a compact core settlement and lacks a central building such as a church or inn. However, some hamlets (Kirchwiler) may have grown up as an unplanned settlement around a church  An unincorporated area In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not governed by its own local municipal corporation, but rather is administered as part of larger administrative divisions, such as a township, parish, borough, county, city,canton, state, province or country. Occasionally, municipalities dissolve or disincorporate, which may happen if they become fiscally insolvent (broke-out of money) , and services become the responsibility of a higher administration (for example,Cabazon, California, disincorporated in 1972). In some countries, there are no unincorporated areas as all parts of the country are incorporated, such as in France or Brazil. 

• Hamlet – a hamlet has a tiny population (<100) and very few (if any) services, and few buildings.

 A village is a settlement, usually larger than a hamlet.  and smaller than a town.  It is an incorporated minor municipality;  a unit of local government.  A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, Usually a village is a very small place, usually with only a few hundred people.

• Village – a village generally does not have many services, possibly only a small corner shop or post office. A village has a population of 100 to 1,000.

                                                                   

                                                     Sderot, on border with Gaza
A town is a village; a cluster or aggregation of houses recognized as a distinct place with a place-name; a hamlet; a compactly settled area as distinguished from surrounding rural territory;  a compactly settled area, usually larger than a village but smaller than a city.  a large densely populated urban area; a city; an English village having a periodic fair or market; a New England territorial and political unit usually containing both rural and unincorporated  urban areas under a single town government by a town meeting.  A town is a community of people ranging from a few hundred to several thousands, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas.  Usually a "town" is thought of as larger than a village but smaller than a "city."  The words city and village came into English from Latin via French.  Town and borough/burrow/burgh/bury/ are of native Germanic origin, from Old English burg, a fortified settlement, and tun, an enclosed piece of land."   A town is larger usually from 1000 to several thousand people.  

• Town – a town has a population of 1,000 to 20,000.
• Large town – a large town has a population of 20,000 to 100,000.

A city is a large or small town;  an inhabited place of greater size,  greater population or greater importance than a town or village.  It can be an incorporated British town usually of major size or importance having  the status of an episcopal see;  a large or important municipality in the US governed under a charter granted by the state; an incorporated municipal unit of the highest class in Canada; Many cities have city-managers.  They are officials employed by an elected council to direct the administration of a city government.  A city is an urban settlement with a particularly important status which differentiates it from a town.  In the USA, city is a legal term meaning an urban area with a degree of autonomy, ie, a township rather than meaning an entire large settlement/metropolitan area.  Outside the USA, city implies an entire settlement or metropolitan area.  There are notable exceptions; the term City of London.  In the UK, a city is a settlement with a charter (letters patent) from the crown.  In Britain, a town becomes a city when it contains a cathedral. A glaring example is Ely - a city of some 12,000 people,   A city is usually a big metropolis. ALTHOUGH, this rule does not always stand true here in the USA.

• City – a city would have abundant services, but not as many as a large city. The population of a city is over 100,000 people up to 300,000.
• Large city – a city with a large population and many services. The population is <1 million people but over 300,000 people.
• Metropolis – a large city and its suburbs consisting of multiple cities and towns. The population is usually one to three million.

There are numerous definitions of towns, villages, hamlets, cities and such. Based on what I have seen, it is based on population. However, how do you define a population area varies by local governments. (Jim-USA)).  

Here is a rough idea of what a good definition of each is: 

Hamlet - 1,000 - 9,999 
Village - 10,000 - 99,999 
Town - 100,000 - 999,999 
City - 1,000,000 - 9,999,000 
Metropolis - 10,000,000+ 

Once again, this is based on population in an area, not necessarily the legal boundaries of each. But since nobody is willing to put numbers to meanings, and is content to let things be ambiguous, this is as good of a definition as any. (this is a comment from Jim) 

Hamlet and village are words coming from England.  They were used in our early beginnings in the United States but have been replaced more often by the words, town.  and city.  After 238 years, The USA has grown.  Perhaps some communities in England haven't.  They have kept their charm and size.  In talking about our Wild American West, the words settlers and pioneers were used interchangeably.  Many terms used to describe settlements (e.g., village) have no legal definition, or may have contradictory legal definitions in different jurisdictions.  In Oregon, Ontario, which sits on the border between Idaho and Oregon had a population of about 8,000.  It was commonly referred to as a town, not a Hamlet.  Hamlets and villages had been dropped and replaced by towns.  Such towns as Vale, Oregon and Aloha, Oregon would fit a Hamlet description but are called towns.  

  There are 4 Israeli cities in Judea-Samaria with Ariel as capital.  There are 375,000 Israelis living there.  The cities are: Ariel, Betar Illit, Ma'ale Adumim and Modi'in Illit.  
                                                                      

1. Ariel was founded in 1978 and is in area C.  So its now 36 years old; more than a generation  of 25 years..  As of 2012 the census had 18,638 population. .  It's 26 miles east of Tel Aviv.  

2. Betar Illit  was founded in 1985  So it's now 29 years old,   and is 6.2 miles south of Jerusalem in Judea.  It's mayor is Meier Rubenstein.  As of the 2013 census had 45,710 population. 

3. Ma'ale Adumim was founded on September 21, 1975  as a Nahal outpost.  It gained city status in 1991.  So is 39 years old, over a generation.  It is 4.3 miles from Jerusalem.  As of the 2012 census, the population was 39,200.  It's mayor is Benny Kashriel.  

4.Modi'in Illit was founded in 1994 and as of 2012 had a population of 59,332.  First called Kiryat Sefer, it is an ultra orthodox community that lies between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.  It is 2.3 miles from the Green Line and is north of Modi'in.  It's the largest of the 4 cities. 

"The green line is commonly referred to as the "pre-1967 borders", the "1967 borders" or the "1967 lines" by the American president Obama, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli prime minister Netanyahu and by the United Nations in informal texts and in the text of UN GA Resolutions." Areas A,B,and C denote who can live there.  C is for Jews.  Obama wants Israel to return to pre-1967 borders. That would be going back to 1948.  After all the aggressive wars that Israel had to defend itself from,  this is unacceptable and unrealistic.   While it is known that the USA has been arming and instructing people of the very nations who had attacked them, it's more important than ever to have secure borders.  

As of 2012:

1. Jerusalem:  780,517 population created by King David 1010 BCE-970 BCE  lost in 70 CE after 1070 years of being in Jewish hands as capital of Israel and then capital of Judah.  Unified capital of Israel-adding another 66 years, making 1,136 years of being a Jewish capital.  

2. Tel Aviv:     404,037 population, founded in 1909, 105 years old
3. Haifa           266,975 population, founded in 1st century CE.  2014 years old.  Modern Haifa began in 2nd half of 19th century (1850 CE) with returning Jewish  immigration working with Jewish population.  

The size that describes a city versus other titles is relative.  
1. Mexico City as of 2010 had 8.851 million people.  Now 9 million
2. New York City as of 2012 had 8.377 million people.  
Israel is a very very small state.  It has 8.7 million people.  The state is as populated as the world's well known cities.  It must be understood that it's towns and cities are scaled down to size.  
3. Portland, Oregon, USA founded on February 8, 1851 is 163 years old-population 609,456 (2013).  

A settlement by its very definition is a newly founded group of a few homes.  

It seems as if the world community would still like to refer to Tel Aviv as a new settlement out of their own prejudice.  Lets all drop the term and use the words that other groups of people use.  Settlements went by the wayside in the Wild West of North America.  Leave it there.  Remember that Jews were kept from entering Palestine from 1939 till 1945 by the British and their White Paper, who encouraged Arabs to enter during that period.  Britain was going against the mandate they were given.  

References: Webster's 7th New Collegiate Dictionary
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamlet_(place)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unincorporated_area
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070915103226AALZGhW
http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~wbroadwe/02%20The%20West.pdf
http://www.pinterest.com/pharissweb/wild-west-settlers-pioneers/
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/settlers-race-to-claim-land
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judea_and_Samaria_Area
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Judea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli-occupied_territories
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Settlement_hierarchy
http://www.btselem.org/settlements/20100830_facts_on_the_settlement_of_ariel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariel_(city)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beitar_Illit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma'ale_Adumim
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Paper_of_1939
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Line_(Israel)