The Settlement Monitor summarizes and provides links to reports and news analyses, released during the quarter 16 May-15 August 2017, that pertain to Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. This quarter's selections provide evidence that Israeli annexation, land appropriation, and settlement construction continue to advance unchecked: among the selections, an Israeli newpaper's investigative report that, as part of a 2014 “framework for peace” by then-U.S. sec. of state John Kerry, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded that Israeli settlers be allowed to remain in areas of the West Bank under the jurisdiction of a future Palestinian state; Peace Now provided data indicating that U.S. Jews were disproportionately moving into West Bank settlements; Haaretz reported that Netanyahu supported a bill that would de facto annex settlements into Jerusalem; and Peace Now's annual construction report documents that settlement construction starts in 2016 rose 34% compared to 2015.

This section comprises international, Arab, Israeli, and U.S. documents and source materials, as well as an annotated list of recommended reports. Significant developments this quarter: In the international diplomatic arena, the UN Security Council approved Resolution 2334, reaffirming the illegality of Israeli settlements and calling for a return to peace negotiations. Additionally, former U.S. secretary of state John Kerry delivered a final address on the Israel-Palestine conflict, outlining a groundwork for negotiations. Two weeks later, international diplomats met in Paris to establish incentives for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas to return to the negotiating table. Despite international discussions of peace talks and the impediment settlements pose to a two-state solution, the Israeli Knesset passed the controversial Regulation Law, enabling the government to retroactively legalize settlements and confiscate Palestinian land throughout the West Bank. Meanwhile, U.S. president Donald Trump took office on 20 January 2017, and he wasted no time before inviting Netanyahu to the White House for their first meeting, in February.

Published each issue and updated regularly on Palestine Square ( blog.palestine-studies.org ), this section strives to capture the tenor and content of popular conversations related to the Palestinians and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Increasingly, these conversations are held on new and dynamic platforms unbound by traditional media. Therefore, items presented in this section are from a variety of sources and have been selected because they either have gone viral or represent a significant cultural moment or trend.