West Bank settler population grew by nearly 3% in 2023 — report

The population of Israeli settlers in the West Bank grew nearly 3% in 2023, according to a new report based on population statistics from the government.

The report, released Sunday by the pro-settler group WestBankJewishPopulationStats.com, found the settler population jumped to 517,407 as of Dec. 31, from 502,991 a year earlier.

The settler population has grown over 15% in the last five years, the report says. Last year, it passed the half-million mark, a major threshold.

This year’s report predicts “accelerated growth” in the coming years, claiming the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel, which triggered the current war in Gaza, persuaded many Israelis who were formerly opposed to settlement-building to change positions.

“Serious cracks have indeed developed in the wall of opposition to Jewish settlement of the West Bank,” it says.