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Estimating Israeli Colonial Settlements Areas, Measuring Expansion, and Analyzing Impacts on Palestinian Localities in the West Bank (1997–2023) Using Aerial Photographs
(An-Najah National University, 2025-06-11) Abedalrahman Kamal Dabe
The West Bank suffers from settler colonialism, which divides and dismembers it while affecting Palestinian localities in several ways. This study aims to estimate the built-up area of Israeli colonial settlements, measure their expansion between 1997 and 2023 through aerial photographs, and assess their impact on Palestinian localities. This study employs a descriptive-analytical approach, utilizing cartographic analysis to digitize the built-up areas and boundaries of Israeli colonial settlements. Spatial analysis tools within ArcGIS Pro were implemented, followed by a descriptive approach to interpret the extracted maps. The results indicate that the built-up area of Israeli colonial settlements reached 88.59 km2, with an expansion rate of 108.59% between 1997 and 2023. The analysis further revealed that the colonial settlements maintain a viewshed of 2,805.76 km2, comprising 49.62% of the West Bank's total area.