Ma'ale Adumim Leads West Bank Settlement Expansion Since 2023
Analysis of land tenders from January 2023 to September 2026 reveals that tenders for 3,662 housing units were marketed in West Bank settlements, with Ma'ale Adumim accounting for 2,719 of these units. The majority of this expansion activity occurred in 2025, when land for 2,671 units in Ma'ale Adumim was marketed, out of a total of 3,249 units across all West Bank settlements that year. In contrast, other settlements saw tenders for only 943 units during the same period, highlighting a significant disparity in settlement expansion rates.
Overall, the average annual marketing of land for housing units in settlements since 2023 has been approximately 977 units, a decrease of about 38% compared to 1,578 units in 2022. Data from the Central Bureau of Statistics indicates a decline in the number of housing units whose construction began in settlements, falling from 2,724 in 2022 to 2,234 in 2023 and 1,092 in 2024, a nearly 60% drop over two years. While construction starts rose to around 1,760 units in 2025, this level remains below that of 2022.
The data also shows a shift in land and development costs. The average price of land per housing unit in successful tenders decreased from approximately 244,000 shekels in 2022 to about 97,000 shekels since 2023. However, development costs increased from around 185,000 shekels to approximately 360,000 shekels per unit. Consequently, the combined cost of land and development per unit rose from about 429,000 shekels in 2022 to around 457,000 shekels since 2023, despite the lower land prices.
These figures suggest that settlement activity in the West Bank has not been evenly distributed in recent years, with a substantial portion concentrated in Ma'ale Adumim, which has become the primary focus for new land marketing compared to other settlements. The analysis is based on tender data and does not include private land or land allocations made without tenders, thus not reflecting the complete scope of construction and settlement expansion in the West Bank.
