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Over the past year, the expansion of illegalsettlementsin the occupied West Bank includingEast Jerusalemhas surged at an alarming rate, reflecting Israel’s determination to impose new facts on the ground in Palestinian territory. Despite clear violations of international law, Israel continues to systematically advance settlement projects, seizing Palestinian land and implementing policies that undermine the viability of a Palestinian state by denying it territorial contiguity.

TheIsraeli Settlements in Jerusalem and the West Bank: Annual Report 2024, published by the Maps & GIS Department of the Arab Studies Society, provides a comprehensive account of these developments.  It examines how Israeli authorities approve and implement settlement projects through key institutions and planning bodies such as the Supreme Planning Council and the Jerusalem Municipality. By mapping these expansion efforts and the mechanisms behind them, the report offers critical insights into the evolving territorial and demographic realities shaped by Israeli policy.

The report gathers data by tracking the progression of settlement plans through official channels, following a structured approval process. Settler projects and expansion plans are first presented to the Supreme Planning Council for discussion. Once approved, they are formally announced by the Jerusalem Municipality, the Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee (for settlements falling within the official Israeli boundaries of Jerusalem, i.e., including East Jerusalem), or the Civil Administration (for settlements located in the rest of the occupied West Bank). Hence, settlement master plans typically progress through three key stages: (1) depositing the master plan and allowing for an objection/appeal period; (2) approving the master plan and granting final authorization for implementation; and (3) publishing tenders—initiating the execution of the approved master plan.

The Maps & GIS Department systematically tracks these announcements, monitors settler activities in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and documents and analyzes the data. The number of announced settler master plans in 2024 is shown in the chart below.