Israeli settlement expansion surges by 40% under Netanyahu

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
5 Jul 2025 18:29
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Illegal settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank have surged by 40% under Netanyahu's government, amid increased settler violence and calls for annexation.

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Destroyed houses are seen at the Nur Shams refugee camp, in the West Bank city of Tulkarm, Wednesday, July 2, 2025 (AP)

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are enduring a significant surge in settler attacks and an exponential expansion of illegal settlement outposts. According to Israeli media on Friday, there has been a 40% rise in the number of settlements under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

Israeli Channel 12 reported that the West Bank has witnessed a boom in settlement activity since the formation of Netanyahu's government at the end of 2022. The number of settlements increased from 128 to 178, accompanied by extensive demolitions of Palestinian homes.

Impact on Palestinian communities

This expansion directly affects Palestinian communities through land confiscation and home demolitions. The channel emphasized that these measures aim to entrench Israeli control over the area and dismantle the viability of the so-called two-state solution.

Settler violence has also intensified. On June 28, three Palestinians were killed and seven others injured during a deadly settler assault on the town of Kafr Malik in the central West Bank.

Meanwhile, two days prior to the Channel 12 report, 14 ministers from Netanyahu's Likud Party and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana signed a letter urging the Prime Minister to annex the occupied territory immediately, as the Israeli political right intensifies pressure for full annexation. This includes efforts to legalize existing outposts and accelerate settlement construction in strategic areas.

The channel noted that the scale and speed of settlement expansion are unprecedented. Meir Deutsch, CEO of the far-right Regavim movement, remarked, "No government has ever encouraged settlement as much as this one."

He added that "Israel is managing Judea and Samaria as the homeowner for the first time since the state’s establishment (1948/Palestinian Nakba)."

Settlement outposts and expansion metrics

According to Channel 12, at least 50 new settlements have been announced since the current government assumed office. Of these, 19 were pre-existing, seven were grazing farms, 14 were neighborhoods within other settlements, and 10 existed only on paper.

Construction in existing settlements has reached record levels in the past two and a half years, particularly since early 2025. A total of 41,709 settler homes have been approved, exceeding the total from the previous six years combined.

By the end of 2024, the number of illegal settlement outposts reached 214, with 66 established during the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza. This represents a 300% increase compared to the two years prior.

Most of these outposts are farming settlements occupying approximately 787 square kilometers, primarily in central and eastern West Bank.

The rise in settlement activity is matched by a demographic increase. Between 2013 and 2023, the settler population in the West Bank grew by 38%, rising from 374,000 to 517,000, according to data from the Yesha settlement council.