Arabic version: خريطة ترصد توسع المستوطنات الإسرائيلية عبر فلسطين

According to Al Jazeera, an animated visual explainer tracks the spread of Israeli settlements and outposts across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as rising settler attacks on Palestinians. The report describes settlements as Jewish-only communities built on Palestinian land and says their number and scale expanded dramatically after Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967.

Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement watchdog, puts the total at at least 163 settlements: 148 in the occupied West Bank and 15 in occupied East Jerusalem. They are home to some 750,000 Israelis, the report said. By 2024, 744,700 settlers lived in the settlements, including 511,100 in the West Bank and 233,600 in East Jerusalem. More than 400 outposts, which are not officially counted, also exist, although many are later absorbed into recognised settlements.

The report said nearly 28,000 housing units were advanced within existing West Bank settlements in 2025. Settlements are sanctioned under Israeli law, while outposts are built without formal authorisation. Under international law, settlements are illegal because the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits an occupying power from transferring its population into occupied territory, Al Jazeera reported. The United Nations Security Council, the International Court of Justice and the International Committee of the Red Cross have affirmed that position.

Large settlements include Modi’in Illit, with 89,301 residents, Beitar Illit, with 70,251, and Pisgat Ze’ev, with 48,419. The communities are linked by roads, including bypass roads that cut through Palestinian land, the report said. It highlighted the planned E1 expansion east of Jerusalem, where more than 3,000 homes were approved in August 2025. The project would sever East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank, according to the report.

Separately, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs data recorded 1,836 settler attacks causing casualties or property damage in 2025, compared with 852 in 2022. Since October 7, 2023, 5,131 attacks have been recorded, Al Jazeera said. From January through July 2026, 1,418 attacks were recorded. The report said violence and the creation of new outposts together illustrate settlement expansion through government planning and activity on the ground.