Israeli colonial policy in the occupied West Bank

Israel started building colonies soon after occupying Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the war of June 1967.

Today, the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem include 145 settlements in addition to 135 outposts.

Israeli settlements have expanded steadily over the years, with the total number of settlers in the occupied West Bank that reached 116,300 on the eve of the 1993 Oslo Accords.

By 2019, the number was estimated at 441,600 settlers, in addition to 225,178 settlers in occupied East Jerusalem, bringing the total number of settlers to 666778.

The settlements are a clear violation to the international law, and are referred to as such in several United Nations Security Council resolutions, the most recent of which is the Security Council Resolution 2334 in 2016. There is a relationship between the settlements and the numerous displacements, confiscation of lands and restrictions on movement and basic freedoms imposed by Israel on Palestinians.