Animated map tracks growth of illegal Israeli settlements and outposts in occupied territories
A visual explainer maps the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements and outposts across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, showing a rise in both housing units and violent settler attacks.
Al one outlet’s animated map visualizes the spread of illegal Israeli settlements and outposts throughout the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, illustrating a network that now comprises 163 communities and over 400 unregistered outposts. According to the watchdog Peace Now, these settlements are home to about 750,000 Israelis, representing roughly 10 percent of the country’s Jewish population. The map shows a sharp increase in construction, with nearly 28,000 new housing units approved within existing settlements in 2025 alone.
International law experts cite the Fourth Geneva Convention, the UN Security Council, the ICJ and the ICRC as deeming the settlements illegal, a stance reaffirmed by the ICJ’s July 2024 advisory opinion. Settler attacks have escalated dramatically, with OCHA reporting 1,836 incidents in 2025 and a total of 5,131 since October 2023, many described as pogroms. The data underscore both the physical expansion of settlements and the accompanying rise in violence against Palestinian communities.
Why it matters
The growth of illegal settlements reshapes the geography and security of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, affecting prospects for a two-state solution.
How this story developed
- Aug 27 Israeli airstrikes kill three Palestinians in Gaza amid ongoing ceasefire
- Sep 7 Britain plans to introduce extensive economic restrictions on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including a trade ban on settlement-produced goods.
- Sep 8 The UK government announced a fast‑track plan to ban imports from Israeli settlements.
- Sep 8 Israel closed the UK consulate in East Jerusalem and barred British MPs and officials from entering Israel.
- Sep 8 US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee suggested the Trump administration could retaliate against Britain over its new trade sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements.
- Sep 8 Canada and a dozen European countries announced coordinated bans on settlement products.
- Sep 9 UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese called the UK settlement trade ban a tentative step and urged broader sanctions.
- Sep 9 UK joined eleven other countries in imposing a ban on West Bank settlement products.
- Sep 9 The sanctions were announced immediately before the start of Rosh Hashanah.
- Sep 9 Eight Arab and Muslim states publicly praised the United Kingdom’s ban on settlement products.
- Sep 10 A family of four was killed in Beit Lahiya.
- Sep 10 Israeli opposition parties offered no substantive response to the UK sanctions.
- Sep 12 Eisenkot’s Yashar party entered the race with a poll showing 23 projected seats.
- Sep 13 US activists created a whistle‑blower hotline and warned firms could be targeted under anti‑BDS laws.
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