Trending 
Under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s current administration, Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank has surged dramatically, with the number of outposts rising by around 40%, according to a report by Israel’s Channel 12.
The report, aired on Friday, reveals that since Netanyahu returned to power in late 2022, the number of Israeli settlement outposts has increased from 128 to 178. This expansion has been accompanied by a spike in settler violence against Palestinians and a sharp rise in demolitions of Palestinian homes.
The broadcaster described the current wave of construction as unprecedented and strategically aimed at reinforcing permanent Israeli control over the territory, thereby undermining any prospects for a future Palestinian state.
This revelation comes just days after 14 ministers from Netanyahu’s Likud Party, along with Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, signed a letter urging the government to formally annex the West Bank.
Although Israeli authorities have traditionally shown little urgency in addressing settler attacks on Palestinians, recent incidents of settlers assaulting Israeli security forces have prompted concern across the political spectrum.
One of the most serious incidents occurred on June 28, when settlers launched a deadly raid on the Palestinian town of Kafr Malik, killing three people and injuring seven others.
According to the Channel 12 investigation, at least 50 new settlements have been announced since Netanyahu’s government took office. These include a mix of existing, unofficial outposts now being legalised, newly established grazing farms, and settlements still in planning.
The channel reported that building activity within existing settlements has also reached record levels, with 41,709 settler housing units approved since early 2025—exceeding the total approved during the previous six years.
Furthermore, the number of unauthorised outposts reached 214 by the end of 2024, with 66 of those established during the ongoing war in Gaza. Compared to the previous government’s tenure, the rate of new outposts has jumped by approximately 300%.
Many of these new outposts, particularly farming settlements, have seized extensive areas of land. Channel 12 reported that grazing outposts now occupy around 787 square kilometres, largely concentrated in the central and eastern West Bank.
The report also highlighted a significant demographic shift. 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 Council, the governing body for West Bank settlements.
Meir Deutsch, head of the far-right Regavim organisation, told the channel: “This government has done more to promote settlement than any before it. For the first time since Israel’s founding in 1948, we are managing Judea and Samaria as true landlords.”
