Occupation of Palestinia is on its highest level ever.

5,415 more settlers since beginning of year

By Gideon Alon, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service
The number of Jews living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip has risen by 5,415 since the beginning of 2003, with Betar Illit growing the fastest, Interior Ministry statistics from the end of June reveal.

The ministry found that there are 231,443 settlers living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and that the largest settlements are Ma'aleh Adumim, Modi'in Illit and Betar Illit, Israel Radio reported Thursday morning.

Although the government has exact statistics on the number of settlers, the number of outposts appears to be a lot harder to pinpoint.

Deputy Defense Minister Ze'ev Boim was unable to tell the Knesset on wednesday how many illegal outposts there are at present in the territories.

Responding to a question by Labor MK Matan Vilnai, Boim said, "We are talking about several dozen outposts that have not received approval and their number changes all the time. The numbers go up and down at various times."

Labor MK Ophir Pines-Paz inquired, "What do you mean by up and down?" Boim replied that since the beginning of June, the Israel Defense Forces had dismantled more than 20 illegal outposts, "some of these more than once because of attempts to return to the area after evacuation. In addition, there were attempts to take over new sites that were stopped."

Pines-Paz said he had been informed by the director of the Prime Minister's Bureau that there are 91 illegal settlements, of which only 11 had so far been dismantled. He charged that Boim was trying to hide the information from the Knesset.