Israeli spending on West Bank settlements spiked after Trump's election, new data shows

In 2017, Israel increased its expenditure on settlement roads, schools and public buildings in the occupied territory

This Jan. 10, 2019 file photo, shows a newly opened segregated West Bank highway near Jerusalem. Israel's government went on a spending binge in its West Bank settlements following the election of PreShow more

The entry of US President Donald Trump into the Oval Office led to a sudden increase in Israeli spending on settlements in the occupied West Bank, new data shows.

Figures provided to The National by Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now show that spending on roads, schools and public buildings increased by more than a third in 2017. President Trump came to power in January 2016.

Spending increased in that year to $330 million (Dh1.21 billion) but rose even further in 2017 to $460m, the highest annual expenditure for settlements in 15 years.

The numbers, released by the Israeli government, include only government spending and not services provided by other sectors such as health, education and police.

Israel gives the same services for illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank as it does for citizens who live in Israel.

Much of the building occurred in settlements that would be unlikely to remain in any peace deal because they would be evacuated to allow for a Palestinian state.

This indicates an Israeli preoccupation with building up those blocks.

In 2018, 1,539 housing units were built in these settlements, representing 73 per cent of all settlement construction for that year.

In the same year, almost 90 per cent of all building was for permanent structures, while the rest was for mobile homes.

Israel has dotted Jewish outposts around East Jerusalem and the West Bank, two territories it captured in the 1967 War.

About 630,000 Israeli settlers now reside in both territories, close to about three million Palestinians.

Tension often runs high and Palestinians have launched dozens of attacks against Israeli targets in recent years.

Palestinian leaders say they are a response to an occupation that has hamstrung the daily lives of their people.

On the campaign trail, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to annex Israeli settlements in the West Bank in a bid to win over right-wing voters and secure his fifth term.

It is a move that would be rejected by most of the international community, which already considers the units to be illegal.

But the US administration has not indicated that it would stand in the way if Mr Netanyahu annexed the illegal outposts.

The Palestinians seek the occupied West Bank as part of any future state, with East Jerusalem as its capital. But continued and unopposed Israeli settlement building has dealt a major blow to any hope of a contiguous Palestinian state in any peace talks.

The Peace Now figures show a decade of Mr Netanyahu in power has driven the settlement construction.

On his watch, 19,346 housing units have been built and 120,517 settlers added to the West Bank between 2009 and 2018.

"The Israeli government is digging the country a pit to fall in," Peace Now said while releasing the report.

"Even if the government does not believe that peace can be achieved in the near future, there is no logic to expanding the settlements and making the solution impossible."

The White House is preparing to present a long-prepared peace plan but the Palestinians have said they will reject any deal proposed by Washington because its policies favour Israel.

The plan is highly unlikely to call for Israel to halt annexation of the settlements because of the close ties between the Trump administration's key players and the Israeli right.

Mr Trump is a longtime friend of Mr Netanyahu, while his ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, served as the head of an organisation that raised funds for projects in one of the most hardline West Bank settlements, Beit El.

The parents of his son-in-law Jared Kushner have also donated money to West Bank settlements.