A report issued by the National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Settlements indicates that the Israeli government continues to implement large-scale settlement projects in the West Bank under the title of “land settlement and registration,” describing these measures as violations of international law and a threat to Palestinians’ land rights.
اضافة اعلان
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz are leading political and security steps that critics describe as a “settlement revolution” in the West Bank. These moves come amid escalating rhetoric supporting settlement expansion and the imposition of new facts on the ground. They align with the current government’s approach to reshaping the administrative and security landscape in the area, including advancing new settlement projects and strengthening infrastructure in existing settlements.
According to the bureau’s weekly settlement report released Saturday, the Israeli government allocated 244.1 million shekels over three years to establish a land registration and settlement mechanism in Area C. The report warns that this could lead to the displacement of Palestinians from approximately 83% of the area if land is registered under “state” ownership when Palestinian owners are unable to prove property rights under stringent conditions imposed by Israeli authorities.
The report notes that these decisions are issued by sovereign ministries, including the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Defense, reflecting what it describes as the formalization of de facto annexation policies aimed at expanding settlements and taking control of Palestinian land. Among the highlighted projects is the expansion of the settlement of Adam (Geva Binyamin), northeast of Jerusalem, which includes plans for approximately 6,000 new housing units, along with infrastructure and public facilities development.
Settlement, seizure, and demolition activities reportedly continue across West Bank governorates, including Jerusalem, Hebron, Salfit, Nablus, Ramallah, Bethlehem, and the Jordan Valley. Violations cited include home and agricultural structure demolitions, land confiscations, prevention of land cultivation, livestock seizures, and the establishment of new outposts.
The report states that these policies have displaced dozens of Palestinian families and undermined the economic and social foundations of farmers and landowners. Arab states and international organizations, including the European Union, the United Nations, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, have called for reversing these measures, describing them as violations of international law that threaten the viability of a two-state solution.
Regarding the expansion of Adam (Geva Binyamin), the report notes that it effectively creates a new neighborhood extending Jerusalem into the West Bank for the first time since 1967, without geographic or functional contiguity with the existing settlement. Around 500 housing units have been marketed in the first phase, alongside large-scale development of public and recreational spaces, including a sports and leisure complex, parks, and open areas, with a budget of approximately 29 million shekels. Future plans include educational and public institutions, with about 18 million shekels allocated for excavation and infrastructure in preparation for kindergartens and schools.
According to the Israeli organization Peace Now, this marks the first time since 1967 that Jerusalem has been expanded into the West Bank under the guise of establishing a new settlement, effectively applying Israeli sovereignty in practice.
The report emphasizes that settlement activity is not limited to the Jerusalem area but extends across the entire West Bank. Salfit Governorate is identified as one of the most targeted areas, second only to Jerusalem in settlement expansion.
Data cited indicate that 41 new master plans were approved in 2025 on lands in Salfit, with tenders issued for 10,098 new housing units, including 730 units in the settlement of Ariel at a site more than two kilometers from the existing settlement, suggesting plans for a new settlement without formal declaration. These tenders inherently involve land seizure.
At the beginning of this year, Israeli authorities reportedly confiscated 694 dunams of Palestinian land in the towns of Kafr Thulth, Deir Istiya, and Biddya under the designation of “state land,” through the Custodian of Government and Absentee Property. The move is linked to plans for establishing a new settlement bloc east of Qalqilya, south of Karnei Shomron, under the name “Dorot.”
The report also highlights ongoing land leveling in the Ras area northwest of Salfit, alongside repeated incursions into the villages of Yasuf, Kifl Haris, Kafr ad-Dik, Qarawat Bani Hassan, and the town of Biddya.
In Salfit Governorate, approximately 40 settlements and settlement clusters are established, the largest being Ariel, in addition to four industrial zones built on around 2,037 dunams: Barkan Industrial Zone (1,130 dunams), Ariel Industrial Zone (647 dunams), Ali Zahav Industrial Zone (223 dunams), and Kana Industrial Zone (37 dunams).
In Hebron Governorate, Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat announced plans to establish a settlement-based industrial complex south of Hebron on 2,400 dunams of land, located strategically near the seam line north of Beersheba. Around 12 million shekels have been invested in planning procedures so far, with an additional 35 million shekels expected to be presented to the Development Committee to begin implementation, aiming for project completion in 2026.
Israeli forces have also reportedly been deployed to the southern Hebron hills to prevent Palestinians from cultivating and planting their lands, particularly at the beginning of the winter season, in response to settler requests.
(WAFA)
