Israeli Expansions: Settler Population Exceeds 500K for First Time
The settler population grew to 502,991 as of January 1, reads a report by a pro-settler group named West Bank Jewish Population Stats, noting that thee the population has increased more than 2.5% in 12 months and nearly 16% over the last five years, according to Associated Press.
The figures come as the far-right Israeli cabinet has put expanding settlements top on its agenda despite the outcry of the international community and Palestinian people.
The report, meanwhile, does not include occupied east al-Quds in which more than 200,000 settlers have been stationed by the regime.
More than three million Palestinians live in the West Bank and east al-Quds which have been occupied by Israeli since the 1967 war.
All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. The UN Security Council has condemned Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied territories in several resolutions.
Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future independent state with East al-Quds as its capital.
The last round of Israeli-Palestinian talks collapsed in 2014. Among the major sticking points in those negotiations was Israel’s continued illegal settlement expansion.
Many Palestinians believe the Israeli plans to annex one-third of the already occupied West Bank, including parts of the strategic Jordan Valley, is only a formality and that a de facto Israeli occupation of their land has been underway for many years.
Source: agencies
