On Wednesday, some 50 activists from Peace Now, a left-wing Israeli organization, were prevented from entering the settlement of Kfar Adumim to protest against erection of caravans on the site. Police in Ma'aleh Adumim prevented the protesters from entering, claiming that the demonstration was an illegal gathering.
According to The Jerusalem Post, this demonstration occurred right after the organization released a report stating that the number of settlers living in West Bank settlements had risen. The report stated that Interior Ministry figures calculated a total of 268,000 settlers residing in the settlements in 2006, a five-percent increase from 2005. In reality, the report said, the growth rate of the settler population remains steady at three times the rate in Israel proper.
Peace Now has attributed the population increase to the movement of ultra-Orthodox families to like-minded areas in the occupied territories and the large birth rate, which has turned places like Modi'in Illit and Beitar Illit into the largest settlements in the West Bank."
The number of settlements, however, has not changed in the past year, remaining at 121. The report also said that in 2007, about 90 caravans were added and permanent construction was underway in 30 of the settler outposts. Despite the government's commitment to carry out demarcation orders and evacuate six specific outposts, in five of them (Mitzpe Lachish, Givat Asaf, Ramat Gilad, Ma'ale Rehavam and Mitzpe Yitzhar), structures were added during the second half of 2006, the report has indicated.
According to WAFA, the paving of the Za'atara bypass road has continued. This bypass road is meant to connect the settlements of Tko'a and Nokdim with Jerusalem. Additionally, work has also continued on the Anatot/Mt. Scopus road in order to allow the Anatot settlers to commute to Jerusalem.
