Ben Caspit is a well-known Israeli commentator and journalist who has hosted TV shows, written books, and currently writes for Al Monitor and Maariv HaShavua. He is a proponent of the Two-state solution and supports the surrender of Judea and Samaria (AKA the West Bank) to the Palestinian Authority

When faced with the numbers and power of the West Bank Jewish population, he expressed a sentiment prevalent in Israel’s leftwing camp that the “settler” camp won, and there is no longer any chance of achieving a two-state solution.

In a December 2013 article in Al Monitor he wrote:

Ben Caspit

“Until now, many in Israel believed that the two sides must be allowed to talk, that the Israelis and Palestinians should be encouraged to hold negotiations that would bring a two-state solution and the end of the conflict. But the fact is that many in Israel are starting to believe that this attempt has no chance. That the settlers and their powerful lobby have succeeded in creating an irreversible reality. That there’s no force in Israel that is capable of removing tens of thousands of settlers. That there’s no feasible political scenario that will enable Israel to carry out honest and real negotiations, or implement any kind of agreement, that is reached — if it is reached — by the two sides. The feeling in the Israeli left and center is that the settlers won. That they have set the facts on the ground.”

As per the West Bank Jewish Population Stats report, the Jewish population of the West Bank is at 420,899 as of January 1, 2017. This figure does not include the Jewish residents of the eastern neighborhoods of Jerusalem such as Ramot, Har Homa, the Old City and Pisgat Zev. The report, which shows population figures for every Jewish town and village in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), can be downloaded after signing up at WestBankJewishPopulationStats.com.