Israel's settlement drive is becoming irreversible, diplomats fear

Houses are seen in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Maale Adumim as the Palestinian village of Al-Eizariya is seen in the background May 24, 2016. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

MITZPE YERICHO, West Bank (Reuters) - In the hills east of Jerusalem, overlooking the Palestinian city of Jericho and the Jordan Valley, stands a religious Jewish settlement whose red-tile roofs, neat gardens and brightly coloured playgrounds give the sense of permanence.

Mitzpe Yericho has stood on this escarpment, close to the Dead Sea - the lowest point on earth - since 1978, one of more than 230 settlements Israelis have built on occupied land in the West Bank and East Jerusalem over the past half-century.