イエメン生まれのイギリス人フォトグラファー、ニック・ワプリントン（Nick Waplington）の作品集。本書は2008年から2013年にかけてイスラエルに居を構え、350以上のユダヤ人居留地を訪れ撮影した作品で構成されている。ヨルダン川西岸地区という複雑な人種組成のイスラエル優勢社会において、定住を試みるユダヤ人の葛藤を探る。パレスチナ自治区が直面している複雑さを12名の世界的写真家達の目を通して検証するプロジェクト「This Place」への参加から制作された作品を元に発行。

… everything is possible and everything is watched and noted, for here on the West Bank of the River Jordan every inch of land is known, recorded, and potentially a source of conflict.

Nick Waplington lived in Jerusalem between 2008 and 2013, visiting over 350 distinct Jewish settlements in the region, from populous cities like Ariel to tiny outposts made up of a few caravans. This book’s title, Settlement, refers to the Jewish communities built in the region of the former state of Palestine known as the West Bank, an area of approximately 2,173 square miles, between the Jordan River and Jerusalem. The area was occupied by Israel in 1968, in the aftermath of the Six-Day War; Israel's right to govern is not recognised by the United Nations, which deems any Israeli building in this area to be a violation of international law. The book investigates the topography of Jewish identity in the West Bank, which is in conflict not only with the Palestinian majority but also with mainstream Israeli society: While all the settlers are Jewish, and almost all are Israeli citizens, many are not natives of Israel. Most of the men and women photographed by Waplington are immigrants who arrived in the West Bank from the United States, South Africa, Australia, the UK, the former Soviet Union, and other parts of the wider Jewish diaspora. The exact number of settlements cannot be determined with accuracy, as both construction and demolition take place regularly throughout the region. In general, however, the presence of Jewish settlers in the West Bank is entrenched, and their building projects continue with the support of the state of Israel.