Israel has significantly expanded colonization in the West Bank under Prime Minister Netanyahu, with hundreds of new settlements and related outposts raising the settler population to about half a million, not including East Jerusalem.

Netanyahu celebrated the creation of roughly 300 settlements and outposts during his tenure and pledged to continue construction amid international pressure.

European leaders and international bodies, including the EU and the UN, condemned the expansion plans as illegal under international law and urged Israel to halt the projects.

The report highlights ongoing international pressure and disputes over the legality and legitimacy of settlements under international law.

After a deadly July clash in the West Bank, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced steps to speed up the legalization of agricultural outposts and to establish new ones.

The measures followed confrontations in the region and aim to accelerate settlement legalization and expansion.

Several European countries, including France, the UK, and Germany, condemned Israel’s broader East 1 settlement plan after bids were invited to build more than 1,200 housing units there.

The E1 plan, approved last year, would separate East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank, with about half a million Israelis living in settlements next to roughly three million Palestinians.

The announcement took place at a Jerusalem ceremony with leaders from the settlers’ chamber, underscoring the push as part of realizing the so‑called ‘Land of Israel’ vision.

Peace Now data show 146 settlements formally regularized and 363 outposts or settlements in the West Bank.

Netanyahu, campaigning for the October elections, pledged to continue and accelerate settlement construction in the occupied West Bank.

Israel’s current government is among the most right-wing in history and is pushing further construction, with ministers openly advocating annexation as elections approach.