Palestinian territorial interests in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are declining daily as Israel relentlessly continues its settlement and annexation planned policies. Today, approximately 740,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank settlements, including 240,000 living in East Jerusalem. Israel has accelerated its settlement construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, to consolidate its interests and implement its annexation plans. In December 2024, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich described in explicit terms his active effort to annex area C of the West Bank to Israel, compromising an area of 60% of the OPT, which is currently under complete Israeli administrative and security control.
