Estimating Israeli Colonial Settlements Areas, Measuring Expansion, and Analyzing Impacts on Palestinian Localities in the West Bank (1997–2023) Using Aerial Photographs

Abstract

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.