’Israeli’ Settlement Growth Doubled In 2017
Local Editor
The number of ‘Israeli' settlers in the West Bank grew at nearly twice the rate of the Zionist entity's overall population last year, a settler leader said Monday, predicting that settlement growth would surge even more in the coming years thanks in part to the US President Donald Trump.
Yaakov Katz said that Trump, backed by a Mideast team dominated by settler supporters, has created a new atmosphere conducive to settlement growth after eight contentious years with the Obama White House.
"This is the first time, after years, that we are surrounded by people who really like us, love us and they are not trying to be objective," Katz said.
Katz is founder of "West Bank Jewish Population Stats," a report sponsored by "Bet El Institutions," a prominent settler organization that has ties to Trump's closest Mideast advisers.
He said the figures are based on official data from the "Israeli" Interior Ministry not yet available to the public.
According to his figures, the West Bank settler population reached 435,159 as of Jan. 1, up 3.4 percent from 420,899 a year earlier. The settler population has grown 21.4 percent in the last five years.
In comparison, the Zionist entity's total population grew 1.8 percent to 8.743 million last year, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics.
Based on recent growth patterns, he said the West Bank settler population could approach 500,000 by the time Trump leaves office. His study did not include the more than 200,000 "Israelis" now occupying East al-Quds.
"We are changing the map," he said. "The idea of the two-state solution is over. It is irreversible."
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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