West Bank sees 'unmatched surge' in Israeli settlements since Gaza war: NGO

According to an NGO headquartered in Israel, the number of new Israeli settlements in the West Bank has increased at an “unmatched surge” since the commencement of the Gaza conflict.

Nine outposts have emerged in the West Bank since the Israel-Hamas war began, according to a report by the Israeli organisation Peace Now.

Since the commencement of the Gaza conflict, there has been a notable surge in violence in the West Bank, an area under Israeli military occupation since 1967.

In the occupied West Bank, which is home to 490,000 Israelis living in settlements that are acknowledged by Israel but are considered illegal by international law, there are about three million Palestinians.

Peace Now said in the report published on Thursday there had been an increase in the activities of some settlers who are “marginalizing” the Palestinians in the territory, noting a “record” number of new settlements since the outbreak of fighting.

“The three months of war in Gaza are being exploited by settlers to establish facts on the ground and effectively take control of extensive areas in Area C,” Peace Now said, referring to the part of the West Bank under Israeli civilian and military control and where the settlements are concentrated.

Several leaders of Israel’s pro-settlement movement are ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which has helped to create a “permissive military and political environment” that is favourable to the development of some settler projects, according to the group.

The war in Gaza was triggered by an unprecedented attack on Israel launched by Hamas on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of around 1,140 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

In response, Israel has launched a bombardment and ground invasion that have killed at least 22,600 people, most of them women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry.

Acts of violence by settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank reached a record high in 2023, the Israeli watchdog Yesh Din reported earlier this week, while the UN also recorded 1,225 attacks by settlers on Palestinians during the year.

In December, the United States imposed sanctions on dozens of settlers, who are now banned from entering American territory.