The number of Jewish settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip has risen by 5,400 during the last 12 months to reach a record 231,443, according to figures from the Israeli Interior Ministry on Thursday, July 24. The figures also show Maale Adumin, east of Jerusalem, is now the biggest settlement with 28,000 inhabitants.
The next biggest are the ultra-Orthodox settlements of Modiin Illit, to the west of Ramallah where 23,000 live, and Beitar Illit, south of Bethlehem, which is home to 21,500 settlers. The number of settlers who now live in the centre of the West Bank town of Hebron, under the protection of some 100 Israeli soldiers, is put at 532. The ministry also said that the total number of settlers in the Gaza Strip was 7,700. Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. The settlers Council of Judea and Samaria (West Bank) and the Gaza Strip, the main settlers' organization, said it was pleased with the figures. "This proves that settlement is stronger than (Palestinian) terrorism and the (Israeli) left," said the council which said it expected to see a rapid growth in settlement population in the second half of the year. The international community considers all settlements built in occupied territory to be illegal. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said on Monday, July 21, that Jewish settlement outposts are an "internal" matter which the Jewish state will deal with at its discretion, rather than under international pressure.
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