As US envoys push settlement freeze, report shows Israeli settler population now over 300,000
By APMonday, July 27, 2009
Report: Israeli settler population crosses 300,000
JERUSALEM — An Israeli paper is reporting that the number of Jewish settlers in the West Bank is now over 300,000.
The daily Haaretz says the number of West Bank settlers is 304,569 — a 2.3 percent increase since January. It’s quoting statistics compiled by the military.
The number of Israeli settlers has more than doubled since the mid-1990s in the West Bank, which is home to around 2.5 million Palestinians.
A string of top U.S. envoys are in Israel this week and are pushing for a settlement freeze. But Israel insists some construction must continue to allow “natural growth” in the settler population.
Built on land Palestinians want for a future state, the settlements are seen by the international community as an obstacle to a peace agreement.
