WEST BANK (PIC)– The Israeli Housing Minister Uri Ariel declared Wednesday the construction of thousands of new housing units in West Bank settlements at the start Palestinian-Israeli negotiations.
We will build thousands of houses during the next year in “Judea and Samaria” areas in the West Bank and no one can dictate where we can build the Israeli minister said.
Ariel a member of the national religious party “Jewish Home” that opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state pointed out that the intended housing units will be constructed in the isolated settlements not in settlement blocs where 36O thousand settlers live.
Meanwhile Palestinian official data confirmed that settlements’ number in West Bank has increased to 144 in 2012 from 140 settlements in 2011.
In its annual report issued Wednesday the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) pointed out that the majority are located in Jerusalem governorate: 26 settlements of which 16 have been annexed by Israel 24 settlements were built in Ramallah and Al Bireh 19 settlements were established in al-Khalil and the 17 settlements in the Jordan while only 3 settlements were built in Tulkarem.
By the end of 2012 the settlers’ number in the West Bank has reached 563546 settlers compared to 538781 settlers at the end of 2011 with 4.6 per cent increase. The number of settlers in the occupied West Bank has doubled more than 40 times in the period between 1972 and 2013.
The settlers’ number has been raised by 2.8 per cent during the first six months of 2012 the report pointed out.
The occupation authorities seek to provide investment and social incentives to encourage settlers.
Data indicate that the number of settlers in the West Bank in 2012 was 563546. Most of these settlers live in Jerusalem governorate with 277501 settlers in total including 203176 in Jerusalem governorate (J1).
The settlers represent 89.0% of all West Bank settlers and are concentrated in Jerusalem governorate (comprising 98.6% of all settlers in the governorate). In Qalqiliya governorate 93.0% of all settlers in the governorate are in urban settlements; in Bethlehem governorate urban settlers make up 93.2% of all settlers; in Ramallah & Al-Bireh governorate they make up 87.5% of settlers; and in Salfit governorate they make up 70.9% of settlers in the governorate. There are no urban settlements in Jenin Tulkarm and Tubas governorates.
