The Israeli occupation authorities have seized 15.342 dunums of land in Al-Bireh in the occupied West Bank under a new military order to establish what they called a “security route” extending 3,835 meters around the Psagot settlement, which was built on land in Jabal Al-Tawil east of the city.
The Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission said Thursday that the seizure would create a new buffer zone around the settlement and restrict Palestinians’ access to land located between the settlement’s built-up area and the route designated in the military order.
In a statement, the commission said the order targets land in registered parcels 17, 20, 21 and 22 in Al-Bireh and provides for transferring effective control of the land to the “military commander” through the officer responsible for the affairs of the Israeli Defense Ministry.
The commission said the order was signed on June 18, 2025, and is set to remain in effect until December 31, 2027. Landowners have been given seven days to file objections, beginning from the date of the field inspection designated for them.
Maps show that the route does not target an isolated parcel but instead creates an almost complete ring around the Psagot settlement.
According to an initial map-based assessment, the military order, in addition to the land directly seized, would prevent Palestinians from accessing more than 380 dunums in the area between the settlement’s existing structures and the route established under the order.
The commission noted that this entire area is not included in the official confiscation figure. However, implementation of the route would effectively isolate the land, restrict owners’ access to it and place it under the settlement’s security control.
The decision comes as part of an escalating policy adopted by the Israeli authorities since October 7, 2023. During this period, 46 military orders have been issued to establish buffer zones around settlements, according to the commission.
The orders indicate that buffer zones are increasingly being transformed from exceptional “security measures” into a regular tool for expanding settlement control and encroaching on Palestinian land, without the immediate need to issue construction plans or formally change land ownership.
Source: WAFA
