The article revealed that the number of Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank increased by approximately 3% in the past year of 2023, with expectations of “accelerated growth” in the settler population in the coming years.
According to the report released by a pro-settlement group yesterday and based on official population statistics issued by the Israeli government, the number of settlers rose to 517,407 by December 31st of the previous year, up from 502,991 in 2022.
The report stated that the settler population in the West Bank has increased by over 15% in the past five years, surpassing the half-million mark in the previous year.
It further indicated that projections suggest a “rapid growth” in settler numbers in the West Bank in the upcoming years.
The report claimed that the attacks carried out by Palestinian resistance, led by the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, on Israeli settlements in the Gaza envelope on October 7th of last year, and the Israeli war on Gaza, persuaded many Israelis who previously opposed settlement building on occupied lands to change their stance.
The report stated, “Significant cracks have already occurred in the wall of Jewish settler opposition in the West Bank.”
The pace of settlement and construction in the West Bank has witnessed a noticeable increase in recent years, with all successive Israeli governments adopting a policy of building and expanding settlements in the West Bank, offering incentives and facilitations to encourage Israeli migration to the area.
Estimates indicate that as of the beginning of 2023, there were approximately 176 settlements and 186 settlement outposts in the West Bank.
