The Yesha Council of Settlements has reported that the number of Jewish settlers living in the occupied West Bank, including in and around occupied Jerusalem, has reached 382031, adding that 7500 Israelis have moved into West Bank and Jerusalem settlements in the last six months.Yesha said that, back in January of 2014, 374469 settlers lived in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and that the current number of settlers (382031) is a 2% increase.
It said that the biggest settlement is Beitar Illit settlement, located southwest of occupied Jerusalem, with a population of 63087 Jewish settlers.
There are more than 200.000 Israeli settlers living in various settlements in occupied East Jerusalem.
Settlements are illegal under International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, to which Israel is a signatory.
They are largely built on privately-owned Palestinian lands, and many on what Israel calls “State Lands” which, by itself, is illegal as the West Bank and Jerusalem are under illegitimate Israeli occupation.
Israel’s settlements and its Annexation Wall continue to cause Palestinians to lose more of their lands and orchards, while vast areas of lands and orchards are now completely isolated behind the Wall.
On July 9, 2004, the International Court at The Hague issued an advisory ruling stating that the Wall Israel is building in the occupied territories is illegal and must be dismantled.
The court also ruled that Palestinians affected by the construction of this Wall must be compensated. Israeli ignored the ruling.
On July 21, 2004, the UN General Assembly voted today to support the July 9 ruling by the International Court.
Israel claims that the wall meant to protect it from attackers, especially suicide bombers, but facts on the ground show that the illegal Wall is built deep inside the occupied territories, separating Palestinian villages from their surroundings and even separating the villagers from their lands.
The Wall is also built far away from the Green Line that separates ‘Israel’ from the West Bank, and is designed to enable further construction and expansion of Jewish-only settlements in occupied Palestine.
Related:
2,200 New East Jerusalem Settlement Constructions Announced
https://imemc.org/article/69032
