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Source: http://www.jpost.com/Features/FrontLines/Article.aspx?id=201635
Is Settlement Growth Booming?
(Jerusalem Post) Tovah Lazaroff - Settlements are communities located in the West Bank that were created between 1967 and 1999 by the Israeli government, in most cases through a cabinet decision. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, as of June 2010, 303,900 people lived in 122 West Bank settlements. Only five were built between 1990 and 1999 when Negahot was approved. All new legal settlement building involves construction within the boundaries of an existing settlement. Construction is going on in fewer than half the settlements. It occurs on a large scale in only a small number. Since Prime Minister Netanyahu took office in March 2008, he has approved no public tenders and has given the go ahead to only 500 new units of private construction. As a result, 14 of the 19 largest settlements are out of permits, including Betar Illit (pop. 35,000) and Ma'aleh Adumim (34,300).