West Bank witnesses 40% surge in 'Israeli' settlements under Netanyahu's rule
A recent report from 'Israel's' Channel 12 reveals an unprecedented escalation in 'Israeli' settlement construction across the West Bank since the formation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government in late 2022.
The channel indicates a substantial 40 percent increase in the number of settlements, which has grown from 128 to 178, coinciding with a dramatic rise in the demolition of Palestinian residences.
This disclosure comes on the heels of a letter signed by 14 Likud Party ministers, including Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, calling on Netanyahu to immediately annex the occupied territory. While 'Israeli' authorities have often shown minimal concern regarding settler violence against Palestinians, recent assaults targeting 'Israeli' soldiers and police officers have drawn considerable attention from across the 'Israeli' political spectrum.
Just last week, a violent settler attack on June 28 in Kafr Malik, a town in the central West Bank, resulted in the deaths of three Palestinians and left seven others injured.
According to Channel 12, the concerted efforts behind the establishment of dozens of new settlements, the rapid pace of illegal outpost creation, the development of strategic roads, and extensive Palestinian building demolitions are all designed to consolidate Jewish control over the area, thereby effectively dismantling the prospect of a two-state solution.
"No government has ever encouraged settlement as much as this one," stated Meir Deutsch, CEO of the hardline Regavim movement, as quoted by the channel. He further asserted, "Israel is managing Judea and Samaria as the homeowner for the first time since the state's establishment (1948/Palestinian Nakba)."
The report details the announcement of at least 50 new settlements in the West Bank since the current government assumed power. Research data suggests that 19 of these newly recognized settlements were already in existence, seven are now designated as grazing farms, 14 are new neighborhoods integrated into existing settlements, and 10 exist purely as plans on paper.
In parallel with the creation of these new settlements, construction within existing West Bank settlements has shattered previous records over the past two and a half years, intensifying significantly since early 2025. The channel indicated that permits for 41,709 settler homes have been approved—a figure that exceeds the total recorded during the six years preceding Netanyahu’s current administration.
By the end of 2024, the number of illegal settlement outposts in the West Bank had climbed to 214, with 66 of these emerging during the Israeli war in Gaza. The channel also highlighted a nearly 300 percent increase in outposts during the current government’s first two years, in comparison to the previous two-year period.
The majority of these newly established illegal outposts are agricultural, seizing vast areas of land. These grazing lands now reportedly encompass approximately 787 square kilometers, primarily concentrated in the central and eastern West Bank.
The report also pointed to a corresponding rise in the settler population. Data from the West Bank settlements council Yesha indicates that between 2013 and 2023, the number of settlers increased by 38 percent, from 374,000 to 517,000.
