An animated map produced by Al Jazeera illustrates the accelerating expansion of illegal Israeli settlements and the accompanying rise in settler violence across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. The visual explainer highlights that the number of attacks on Palestinians has reached historic highs, coinciding with significant growth in settlement infrastructure.
Israeli settlements are Jewish-only communities constructed on land in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, which international bodies regard as illegal under the Fourth Geneva Convention. While these suburbs often appear as standard residential neighborhoods with uniform housing, they are built on terrain strategically positioned to overlook Palestinian towns and villages that have been fragmented to make way for them.
The settlement project predates the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 but expanded aggressively after Israel occupied the territories in 1967. According to Peace Now, an Israeli watchdog group, there are currently 163 illegal settlements—148 in the West Bank and 15 in East Jerusalem—housing approximately 750,000 Israelis, or roughly 10 percent of the country’s Jewish population.
By 2024, the settler population in these areas had reached 744,700, with 511,100 residing in the West Bank and 233,600 in East Jerusalem. In addition to the 163 official settlements, there are now over 400 illegal outposts. These smaller, unauthorized communities are frequently absorbed into recognized settlements, complicating exact population counts.
Data indicates that in 2025 alone, nearly 28,000 housing units were approved within existing settlements, signaling that expansion is driven more by densification than by the creation of entirely new communities.
The physical footprint of settlements has grown into sizable urban centers equipped with schools, shopping malls, medical facilities, and universities. Modi’in Illit is the largest such community with 89,301 residents, followed by Beitar Illit with 70,251 and Pisgat Ze’ev with 48,419. These areas are connected by a network of bypass roads reserved exclusively for settlers, which cut through Palestinian land and restrict the movement of local residents through checkpoints and roadblocks.
A focal point of this expansion is the E1 area east of Jerusalem, a zone planned to link Maale Adumim and effectively sever East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank, undermining the territorial continuity required for a future Palestinian state. In August 2025, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich approved over 3,000 homes in the E1 project, a plan that had been dormant for years. Smotrich stated the move would “bury the idea of a Palestinian state,” drawing condemnation from nearly 30 governments and the European Commission as a violation of international law.
Alongside physical expansion, violence against Palestinians has surged. Israeli settlers generally fall into two categories: those motivated by economic incentives such as subsidized housing, and religious-nationalists who view the land as divinely promised. The latter group includes “hilltop youth” known for establishing outposts and attacking Palestinian communities, sometimes with the acquiescence or support of the Israeli military.
Experts and UN officials have increasingly characterized these incidents as pogroms, defined as organized violence against a targeted minority. The term has been used by Israeli military officers themselves following past events, such as the 2023 attack on Huwara.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), settler attacks causing casualties or property damage rose sharply following October 7, 2023. In 2025, 1,836 attacks were recorded, more than double the 852 incidents logged in 2022, averaging approximately five attacks per day. Since October 2023, a total of 5,131 attacks have been documented, with 1,418 occurring between January and July 2026.
The combination of violent outposts and government-sanctioned settlement growth demonstrates that the expansion of illegal settlements is proceeding through both official planning and unauthorized ground-level activities.
Modi’in Illit has nearly 90,000 people? That’s larger than some mid-sized cities. The scale of this occupation is hard to visualize without data like this.
The term ‘pogrom’ used by UN officials is significant. It signals a shift in how the international community views this organized violence.
Historic highs in attacks… does anyone outside the region realize how bad this has gotten since late 2023?
The bypass roads mentioned here really explain why movement feels so restricted. It’s not just checkpoints; the entire infrastructure favors settlers.
Can someone clarify the difference between official settlements and illegal outposts? The article mentions both but it feels like they serve the same purpose.
I’m skeptical of the ‘outpost’ labeling. These are permanent structures with schools and malls. They look like towns to me.
Nearly 28,000 housing units approved in 2025 is staggering. It proves densification is just as dangerous as new construction.
The E1 area approval is a game-changer. Severing East Jerusalem from the West Bank effectively kills any hope for a contiguous Palestinian state.