Illegal Israeli settlements, outposts in West Bank reach 592 by July

WEST BANK, Aug. 23 (YPA) – The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission said Sunday that the number of Israeli settlements and settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank reached 592 by the end of July, comprising 192 settlements and 400 outposts, including 231 pastoral outposts.

The commission said nearly 780,000 Israeli settlers were living in these settlements, including around 333,600 in Jerusalem and 446,400 elsewhere in the West Bank.

It said official Israeli orders indicate that Israeli control extends over 42% of the West Bank’s total area, or approximately 5,660 square kilometers, as well as 71% of Area C and as much as 91% of the Palestinian Jordan Valley.

Regarding the escalation of settlement activity in the West Bank since the outbreak of the war on Gaza in October 2023, the commission said the number of settlements stood at 180 by the end of 2023, in addition to 180 settlement outposts.

@E.Y.M