West Bank settlements report rapid growth in 2019 A West Bank settler group says the population of Jewish settlements surged by more than 3% in 2019, well above the growth rate of Israel’s overall populationJERUSALEM -- The population of Jewish settlements in the West Bank surged by more than 3% in 2019, well above the growth rate of Israel’s overall population, a settler group said Tuesday. His group, using official Interior Ministry data, said the population of West Bank settlements rose to 463,353 people as of Jan. 1, up 3.1% from 449,508 a year earlier. The Palestinians seek the West Bank and east Jerusalem — areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war — as parts of an independent Palestinian state. According to Tuesday’s report, the growth rate of the settlement population last year actually dipped slightly from the 3.3% figure posted in 2018. It generally takes several years for settlement construction to go through the planning process and win the necessary bureaucratic approvals.

Source: ABC News January 28, 2020 13:52 UTC