Nearly 200 Americans moved to West Bank settlements in 2020, Israeli figures reveal

Occupied West Bank (QNN)- 191 Americans out of 2,296 who made aliyah ( North American immigration to ‘Israel’) in 2020 moved to illegal Israeli settlements located over the Green Line, constituting more than 8 percent of United States citizens who immigrated to occupied Palestine in 2020, Israeli figures revealed.

According to recent data from Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Americans who made aliyah to occupied Palestine were far more likely than immigrants from any other country to move to occupied West Bank settlements last year, constituting more than 8 percent of United States citizens who immigrated to occupied Palestine in 2020 and comparing with less than 3 percent of those making aliyah from France and less than 2 percent of the immigrants from Russia and Ukraine who moved to occupied West Bank settlements.

While Americans accounted for just over 10 percent of all the newcomers arriving in the country last year, their share among those choosing to settle in the occupied West Bank was nearly a third, the figures showed.

The overwhelming predominance of Americans among immigrants moving to the occupied West Bank was evident in previous years as well.

The CBS figures showed that occupied Jerusalem was by far the most popular destination for American immigrants in 2020.

Occupied Jerusalem was also the most popular destination for immigrants from France, though Netanya was a close second.

By contrast, occupied Jerusalem was not at all popular with newcomers from the former Soviet Union: The top destination for those coming from Russia was Tel Aviv, while for those from Ukraine, it was Haifa.

A total of 11,824 new colonizers arrived in occupied Palestine between January and June 2021 – up 30 percent from the same period last year, but 20 percent lower than the same period in 2019, according to figures published by Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration.

Israeli policies of homes demolitions and forced displacement of Palestinians are but means to pave the way to build more illegal settlements and find a place for settlers and colonizers who have been stealing Palestinians homes with the goal of ethnically cleansing of the Palestinians.

There are nearly 700,000 Israeli settlers living in 256 illegal settlements and outposts scattered across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.

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