The Pals could easily end settlement activity by signing onto a comprehensive final status agreement. They refused to do this in 2000 and 2008. PM Olmert offered Pals 94% of the West Bank plus 5.8% of Israeli territory in exchange for peace in 2008. Mahmoud Abbas flat out refused this generous offer. Settlements are growing into a political vacuum. Pals believe time is on their side, and if they hold out long enough, they can achieve a single state,with an Arab majority, from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean. It's a fantasy which will never be realized. Israel has not known peace since it's inception.They've gotten very good at thriving in a harsh neighbourhood. And signing a piece of paper doesn't guarantee peace. Just look at Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Turkey, and Libya. Israel is more peaceful than all of them.