Illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank have expanded at record speed in 2023, according to the European Union

An expansion “at an unprecedented rate and accompanied by a disturbing increase in violence.” Israeli settlements built illegally in the West Bank expanded at a record speed in 2023, with the highest number of building permits issued in 30 years, according to a report published Friday (August 2) by the European Union Representation in the Palestinian Territories.

According to the report, building permits were granted by the Israeli authorities for 12,349 housing units in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 – an annual figure not reached since the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993. In East Jerusalem, 18,333 housing units were granted building permits in the Palestinian part of the city, annexed by Israel in 1967.

These settlements are illegal under international law, a finding that has been repeatedly recalled in recent decades by the international community. The International Court of Justice reiterated this again in July, calling on Israel to end this colonization, “to evacuate all the settlers [israéliens] as soon as possible” and of “repair the damage caused” to all affected persons.

In addition to constructions that violate international law but are authorized by the Israeli government, Israelis are also building “outposts” in the occupied West Bank without public permission. As of 2023, 26 have been established, “the highest number in one year since 1991”the report details, specifying that the Israeli government wanted to legalize 15 outposts.

“The situation is expected to worsen in 2024 due to recent developments”said the European representation on X. Since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, violence between Palestinians on the one hand, and the Israeli army and settlers on the other, has intensified in the occupied West Bank. At least 594 Palestinians have been killed there, according to an AFP count, and at least 17 Israelis, including soldiers.