For nearly 50 years, Israeli settlements have posed a major obstacle to a two-state solution. The term “settlement blocs” and the confusion surrounding them add another layer of complexity to efforts to move toward peace.

The areas commonly referred to as settlement blocs are large groups of settlements on or close to the Green Line. The majority of Israeli settlers live in the blocs and, as such, they are commonly considered to be destined for full incorporation into Israel in the context of a two-state solution. But what impact do proposals for building exclusively in the blocs based on that presumption have?

To discuss this question and more, we held a briefing with Gilead Sher, the head of the Center for Applied Negotiations (CAN) and a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) at Tel Aviv University. A former Chief and Co-Chief negotiator in 1999-2001 at the Camp David summit as well as the Head of Bureau and Policy Coordinator under Israel’s former Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Ehud Barak, Sher is an expert in the field.

Below, you’ll find our conversation with him and J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami in full.