Advancement of plans for settlement units in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem continued at a very high rate in the first half of 2020 (January-July). 14,794 settlement units were advanced in different stages of the planning and implementation process (plans and tenders). 5,525 of the units pertain to settlements located in occupied East Jerusalem, and 9,269 to settlements located in other parts of the West Bank, including in locations deep in the West Bank.
There were other significant developments contributing to settlement expansion in the reporting period, notably an increased rate of court proceedings initiated by settler organisations with the aim of evicting Palestinians from their homes in various neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem.
The reporting period also saw a high level of incidents of settler violence, with the highest numbers observed in Hebron.
As stated in numerous EU Foreign Affairs Council conclusions, settlements are illegal under international law, constitute an obstacle to peace and threaten to make a two-state solution impossible.
The EU has urged Israel to end all settlement activity and to dismantle the outposts, in line with prior obligations, and maintains that settlement activity in East Jerusalem seriously jeopardizes the possibility of Jerusalem serving as the future capital of both States.