One Giant Colony

Is "settlement" such a dirty word that AFP now refers to Maale Adumim as a "colony" instead?

In its report the committee said that the small settlement of Qedar should be integrated into the giant colony of Maale Adumim, along with the lands that lie between the two.

"Giant colony" brings to mind a colony of giant ants (like Them) that terrorize the world. Maybe that's AFP's intended comparison.