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Last update - 09:00 22/02/2007
Peace Now: 2,000 settlers live in West Bank outposts
By Nadav Shragai, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service

The annual report released Wednesday by the left-wing Peace Now organization says that approximately 2,000 settlers are currently living at 102 outposts in the West Bank.

In 2006, the first year of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's term, no new outposts were established, but building in the existing outposts continued at a pace similar to that of 2005.

The study quotes Interior Ministry data as saying that 268,000 Israelis lived in settlements in 2006, an increase of 5 percent from the previous year. One outpost was evacuated last year, the report says.



The report indicates that while no new outposts were established in 2006, there were 251 changes of various kinds, including the addition of caravans, construction and road paving.

The number of caravans in the outposts rose by 90 in 2006, the report says. In total, 127 caravans were added and 37 destroyed.

Permanent construction was carried out in 30 outposts and road paving in seven.

Peace Now identified 22 instances of new construction, ten of the expansion of existing buildings, nine of continuation of existing structures and eight of preparing ground for construction.

Of the changes that took place at the outposts in 2006, 80 percent were carried out in locations east of the West Bank separation fence. Even so, the majority of the expansion and construction work was carried out before March 2001.

The report identified expansion in 27 of the outposts founded since March 2001.

The government of then-prime minister Ariel Sharon promised U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on several occasions to evacuate the outposts.

In 2006, tenders were issued for the construction of 952 housing units, compared with 1,184 the previous year.

All of the tenders were issued since June 2006, following the elections of late March, and all related to preparations for government-authorized construction in settlements west of the separation fence.

Figures released by the Central Bureau of Statistics indicate that in the first nine months of 2006, 1,272 construction projects were launched - an annual rate of 1,700 projects.

This figure is lower than that of 2005, in which 1,727 tenders were issued, and slightly lower than that of 2004, in which 1,926 were issued.

The report indicates that 1,471 changes of various kinds were made in 2006 in the outposts, 68 percent of them in settlements west of the separation fence.

Data for changes made in outposts has never before been included in the group's reports.

The highest number of changes, 492, was made within the regional council of Mateh Binyamin.

Approximately 250 changes were made in Samaria regional council and 199 in Gush Etzion.


Related links:
  • Peace Now report
  • Peace Now aerial photos show new caravans at Amona outpost (07/01/07)
  • Sasson: 61 outposts built on non-Israeli land (09/11/06)

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    Representing Israel
    Until now, there hasn't been a connection between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Israeli basketball.
    Anonymous put down
    People who bad-mouth on talkbacks needn't worry about their names being released.
      1.   I see. 11:21  |  Paulo 21/02/07
      2.   An uncomfortable truth 11:21  |  Roger Bannister 21/02/07
      3.   2000 settlers? Thats outrageous! We need to make it 200,000 11:21  |  SLAVO 21/02/07
      4.   Israel should stop making laugh out of law 11:23  |  Shlomo from Tel-Aviv 21/02/07
      5.   2000 more settlers 11:31  |  Choni Davidowitz 21/02/07
      6.   Arrival of the New Baby 11:34  |  Johnny Weintraub 21/02/07
      7.   PEACE NOW = ANTI ZIONISM 11:42  |  Ben Uziel 21/02/07
      8.   `Peace Now` =Never 11:51  |  Yaakov gang 21/02/07
      9.   Criminal outposts 11:54  |  Esther 21/02/07
      10.   peace now 11:57  |  colin 21/02/07
      11.   Jews returning to LIBERATED homelands 11:58  |  Yacov 21/02/07
      12.   Paulo sees, but we, Paulo are still waiting to 12:12  |  Anat 21/02/07
      13.   This is Excellent News - Build, Build Build! 12:29  |  David 21/02/07
      14.   I must thank Peace Now for the encouraging news ! 12:37  |  redmike 21/02/07
      15.   Blatant theft 12:44  |  kiwigirl 21/02/07
      16.   re: Anat #12 12:46  |  Paulo 21/02/07
      17.   Reply to #3 13:10  |  Hindanow 21/02/07
      18.   This is getting old already... 13:19  |  JDM 21/02/07
      19.   JDM: There Won`t Be An Arab State In OUR Land 13:33  |  Yishai Kohen 21/02/07
      20.   GOOD 13:33  |  Dror 21/02/07
      21.   What does Peace Now say about... 13:49  |  Avi 21/02/07
      22.   The Mecca Accords guarantees... 13:53  |  Avi 21/02/07
      23.   #6, J. Weintraub. Any idea of average age of those "new babies"? 14:10  |  zmogus 21/02/07
      24.   Proud 14:11  |  Shulamit 21/02/07
      25.   So now, Paulo, after haunting you for weeks you 14:11  |  Anat 21/02/07
      26.   Jews have rights to live in their own land 14:17  |  Brod 21/02/07
      27.   Peace Now = War Now. 14:23  |  Vital 21/02/07
      28.   Peace Now Foreign Agents 14:38  |  Sam Weinstein 21/02/07
      29.   #15 Kiwi Girl Looses it 14:44  |  Sam WEinstein 21/02/07
      30.   response to #3 Slavo 14:50  |  Danalogue 21/02/07
      31.   #25, Anat to Paulo. A lower-key rethoric wouldn`t hurt 14:58  |  zmogus 21/02/07
      32.   Israeli`s want to live, Palestinians want to kill 14:58  |  Avi 21/02/07
      33.   There is some farmland next to me. Can I put a caravan there? 15:04  |  Shlomi 21/02/07
      34.   Am Yisrael Chai 15:07  |  Mike 21/02/07
      35.   Getting things straight 15:27  |  Avi Yerushalmi 21/02/07
      36.   #24, Shulamit. Before you invoke haShem... 15:27  |  zmogus 21/02/07
      37.   you know if construction was allowed on legal settlments.. 15:29  |  David G 21/02/07
      38.   Viva Peace Now!! 15:33  |  ScotGuy 21/02/07
      39.   #1 Paulo, "I see" you are obsessed with as Jews in our land. 15:35  |  Haham me Bat Yam 21/02/07
      40.   Good news 15:38  |  Paul 21/02/07
      41.   #16 Paulo, Did it ever occured to you.. 15:43  |  Max Zinger 21/02/07
      42.   The Level of Deceit Is Staggering! 15:51  |  Yaakov Sullivan 21/02/07
      43.   ABOUT 22 "PEACE" NOW MEMBERS 15:53  |  YEHUDA 21/02/07
      44.   Ben Uziel goose stepping through Palestine #7 15:54  |  Yaakov Sullivan 21/02/07
      45.   #33, Shlomi: It depends 15:58  |  Jimmy Carter 21/02/07
      46.   Yes, Brod the Jews have rights to live in Israel #26 16:01  |  Yaakov Sullivan 21/02/07
      47.   To the Peace Now bashers 16:04  |  ScotGuy 21/02/07
      48.   #41 Yakov Sullivan 16:16  |  ScotGuy 21/02/07
      49.   We are all Zionists! 16:16  |  Alicia 21/02/07
      50.   West Bank settlers 16:26  |  Jules Kadish 21/02/07
      51.   Yaakov Sullivan #46 Your argument is fallacious 16:35  |  Brod 21/02/07
      52.   Hey Haaretz 16:36  |  leon 21/02/07
      53.   Great News-Rolling Back Arab Imperialism 16:38  |  Ben Israel 21/02/07
      54.   The more things change, the nore they stay the same... 16:42  |  common sense 21/02/07
      55.   the land grabbers truth 16:44  |  sally rand 21/02/07
      56.   47scotguy. "while you religious guys were in yeshivas" 16:48  |  bat yam 21/02/07
      57.   VIDEO for Alicia 16:53  |  Chaval 21/02/07
      58.   Brod, the give away #51 17:02  |  Yaakov Sullivan 21/02/07
      59.   ScotGuy #47 17:05  |  Sam Weinstein 21/02/07
      60.   Jules Kadish (Post No. 50) 17:06  |  Johnny Weintraub 21/02/07
      61.   #56 Bat Yam 17:09  |  ScotGuy 21/02/07
      62.   Actually they call the arabs cockroaches 17:11  |  Marilyn 21/02/07
      63.   Answer to natural growth is condoms and pills 17:14  |  Omran 21/02/07
      64.   Israeli Anschluss Being Implemented 17:22  |  Nate 21/02/07
      65.   Settlers 17:22  |  G 21/02/07
      66.   #47 Sam Weinstein 17:25  |  ScotGuy 21/02/07
      67.   62marilyn. ethnic cleansing & cockroaches. 17:29  |  curious 21/02/07
      68.   61scotguy. understood and... 17:31  |  bat yam 21/02/07
      69.   IT IS TIME TO RUN PEACE NOW OVER THE FENCE AND LET THEN CONVERT 17:32  |  paul harris 21/02/07
      70.   #66 Scotguy 17:34  |  Sam Weinstein 21/02/07
      71.   63 omran. sterilization 17:35  |  curious 21/02/07
      72.   Brod: `"God-Given Land"` 17:47  |  Highlander 21/02/07
      73.   #62 Marylin, You have your time frame and coordinates mixed up 17:52  |  Haham me Bat Yam 21/02/07
      74.   TO Chaval #57 18:02  |  Alicia 21/02/07
      75.   Highlander #72 18:26  |  Brod 21/02/07
      76.   Response to #30 18:29  |  SLAVO 21/02/07
      77.   Scotguy 19:09  |  Abraham 21/02/07
      78.   Bat Yam you are deluded 19:26  |  Marilyn 21/02/07
      79.   TWO THOUSAND TOO FEW 19:38  |  SAM EL LLANITO 21/02/07
      80.   Miraculous fulfillment of Biblical prophecy 19:57  |  Steven 21/02/07
      81.   Abraham 20:03  |  ScotGuy 21/02/07
      82.   78marylyn. "the right to say no" 20:06  |  curious 21/02/07
      83.   Abraham II - dissapointed at you 20:12  |  ScotGuy 21/02/07
      84.   Brod: `"God-Given Land"` 2 20:13  |  Highlander 21/02/07
      85.   OLMERTS WIFE WAS A FOUNDER OF "PEACE NOW" AND ACTIVIST MEMBER! 20:14  |  GET REAL 21/02/07
      86.   West Bank Colonisation:Aiding & Abetting the Crime