BEIT EL, West Bank — (AP) — The Jewish population in the West Bank grew at twice the rate of the general Israeli population last year, according to an advocacy group that hopes the Trump administration will support policies that help accelerate the growth of settlements in the occupied territory.
The West Bank’s Jewish-settler population rose by roughly 2.3% — over 12,000 people — last year, reaching 529,450, according to a report by WestBankJewishPopulationStats.com, based on official government figures.
That was a slight dip from the 2.9% growth rate in 2023, but roughly double the 1.1% population growth rate inside Israel proper.
The number of Jewish settlers in the West Bank could grow “much higher” under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, Baruch Gordon, the director of the group that publishes the data, said Tuesday.
Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war and has built about 130 settlements and dozens of settlement outposts in …