Number of settlers rises by 5% in 2007
Jewish population in West Bank continued to grow in 2007 in both religious and secular settlements
The Jewish population in West Bank settlements grew by 5.2% in 2007, rising by 14,000 residents from 268,000 at the end of 2006 to 282,000 at the end of 2007.
According to the Interior Ministry, which provided the data, the increase should be attributed both to natural growth and to internal migration from communities within the Green Line to settlements.
Naturally, the statistics do not include illegal outposts in the region.
A substantial part of the growth in Israeli population was registered in the large haredi settlements, including Beitar Illit, Modi'in Illit and Immanuel, where the birthrate was exceptionally high.
But the growth was not exclusive to haredi communities, and was noted in secular ones as well, including Maale Adumim, Givat Ze'ev and Ariel. "Ideological settlements" – isolated communities in the heart of the region that are mostly populated by religious Zionists, also showed an increase in the number of residents.
Surprisingly enough, one of the only settlements that showed a decline in the number of residents was the Jewish community in Hebron, where the population dropped from 620 at the end of 2006 to 607 at the end of 2007.
