The Head of the Samaria Regional Council, Gershon Mesika, said Tuesday that the latest statistics prove that the Jewish settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria cannot be undone.
"The data that are published, again and again, give a clear picture that shows that the settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria has passed the point of no return,” he said.
"The population beyond the Green Line currently numbers over 730,000 Jewish citizens,” he noted. The “Green Line” refers to the 1949 armistice line, and the territories beyond it include parts of Jerusalem, as well as Judea and Samaria.
"There are more than 370,000 citizens who live in Judea and Samaria,” he continued, “and even outside what is referred to as 'the settlement blocs,' settlements have passed the 170,000 residents' mark.”
Samaria Liaison Office Coordinator David Ha'ivri told Arutz Sheva that he estimates there will be one million Jews in the areas beyond the Green Line in just three years' time.
The Jewish population of Judea and Samaria grew by 2.12% in the last six months – more than 2 times faster than the rate of Jewish population growth in the rest of Israel, which is 1.9% annually, reports Israel Hayom.
The Jewish population of Judea and Samaria currently numbers 367,000. In the last six months, this number grew by 7,700, including immigrants and births.
The population of the Etzion Bloc Regional Council grew by 4.1%, and the Samaria Regional Council grew by 3.2%.