Israeli settlers expand, stealing Palestinian homes

(MENAFN) Under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank have seen a significant expansion, with reports citing a 40% increase in the number of settlement outposts since the current administration took office in late 2022. Alongside this surge, Palestinians in the territory have endured a growing wave of settler violence.

According to reports, the number of recognized settlements rose from 128 to 178, coinciding with a dramatic spike in the demolition of Palestinian homes and the construction of infrastructure designed to entrench Israeli presence. This expansion has been described as part of a larger effort to entrench control over the area and render a two-state solution unfeasible.

The report follows recent political developments, including a letter signed by 14 ministers from Netanyahu’s Likud Party and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, urging the prime minister to formally annex the occupied West Bank.

While Israeli authorities have historically shown limited response to settler violence targeting Palestinians, recent attacks against Israeli security personnel by settlers have drawn attention across the political spectrum.

On June 28, a violent settler attack on the Palestinian town of Kafr Malik in the central West Bank left three Palestinians dead and seven others wounded.

“The announcement of dozens of new settlements, the unprecedented pace of establishing illegal outposts, the construction of strategic roads, and the large-scale demolition of Palestinian buildings all aim to strengthen Jewish control over the area and effectively eliminate the two-state solution,” the report stated.

“No government has ever encouraged settlement as much as this one,” said Meir Deutsch, CEO of the far-right Regavim movement.
“Israel is managing Judea and Samaria as the homeowner for the first time since the state’s establishment (1948/Palestinian Nakba).”

At least 50 new settlements have been introduced since the current government came to power. Research data cited in the report noted that 19 of these were already in existence, seven are used as grazing farms, 14 are classified as neighborhoods within existing settlements, and 10 remain only in planning stages.

The scale of construction in both new and existing settlements has also intensified. Since early 2025, construction levels have reached record highs, with 41,709 settler housing units receiving approval—more than the total approved over the previous six years.

The number of unauthorized outposts across the West Bank reached 214 by the close of 2024, with 66 established during the ongoing military campaign in Gaza. The report revealed that the first two years of the current government saw a roughly 300% increase in new outposts compared to the preceding two years.

A significant portion of these outposts are farming sites that consume large swaths of land, with grazing territories now estimated to cover 787 square kilometers—mainly across the central and eastern regions of the West Bank.

The rapid expansion of settlements has also fueled population growth within these areas. Between 2013 and 2023, the settler population in the West Bank rose from 374,000 to 517,000—an increase of 38%—according to data from the West Bank settlements council Yesha.

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