450,000 Israel settlers in West Bank

The number of illegal Israeli settlers living in the occupied West Bank at the end of 2018 was 448,672, Israel Hayom reported yesterday.

According to Quds Press, the Israeli newspaper noted that these settlers live in more than 150 Israeli settlements designated illegal by the international community.

This number excludes 250,000 Jewish settlers living in Jewish settlements in occupied East Jerusalem and an unknown number of Jewish settlers living in more than 300 illegal outposts built without Israeli government permission in the occupied West Bank.

Israel Hayom reported the settlement council saying that the population growth among the settlers has been decreasing over the past ten years.

READ: Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians tripled in 2018

The newspaper pointed out that the annual growth of the settlers reached three per cent in 2018, compared to 3.4 per cent in 2017 and 3.9 per cent in 2016.

“Population growth among the settlers declined from 14,300 new settlers in 2017 to 12,964 new settlers in 2018,” Israel Hayom said.