Settlement & Annexation Report: February 6, 2026

Welcome to FMEP’s Weekly Settlement & Annexation Report. To subscribe to this report, please click here.

February 6, 2026

ANNEXATION: Knesset Initiates Bill to Establish “Judea & Samaria Heritage Authority” Run by Settlers
EAST JERUSALEM: Land Registration, Dispossession in Silwan
WEST BANK SETTLEMENTS & OUTPOSTS: 140 Farming Outposts to be Legalized, Five Outpost Complete Legalization Process, Plans for 161 Units Advanced, Peace Now Releases 2025 Settlement Data
GAZA: Settlers Briefly Enter Gaza
SETTLER & STATE TERRORISM: IDF Admits it Does Not Protect Palestinians,
BONUS READS

ANNEXATION

Knesset Initiates Bill to Establish “Judea & Samaria Heritage Authority” Run by Settlers

On February 3rd, the Knesset Education, Culture, and Sports Committee voted 7-5 to approve the first reading of a bill that would establish a statutory body within the Israeli government that would exercise broad authority over heritage sites in “the area” of the West Bank — an act of de facto annexation. The bill needs to pass two more readings to become law. The bill will now be considered by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, which is when the governing coalition will decide whether to support the bill.

The Israeli Civil Administration, a body within the Defense Ministry, currently exercises authority over all matters in Area C and increasingly operating in Area B in contravention to the Oslo Accords. As proposed, the new “Judea and Samaria Heritage Authority” would transfer those powers to Israel’s domestic, civilian government. Emek Shaveh, Peace Now, and the Geneva Initiative highlight that, if passed, this would be the first instance of Israel applying domestic Israeli law to territory (land) rather than persons (settlers) in the West Bank. The coalition further warns that the bill does not currently provide a definition of what area the new body would have jurisdiction over, and previous versions of the bill included Areas A, B, and even C.

A nine-member body of settlers would be appointed by the Israeli Heritage Minister to oversee and direct the work of the new Authority which would be tasked with “for all matters of heritage, antiquities, and archaeology in the area, including preservation, restoration, development, and rescue of antiquities, excavation, development, and management of sites, and making them accessible to the public.”

Peace Now warns:

“The bill includes several extreme provisions concerning land: the authority to purchase land for the purpose of safeguarding, conserving, researching, and developing sites; and the authority to expropriate land and antiquities. In practice, this would allow the Authority to expropriate privately owned land under the pretext of protecting antiquities. Since Palestinians do not sell land to Israelis and generally reject compensation in cases of expropriation, the bill creates a mechanism enabling settlers to take control of archaeological sites and Palestinian-owned land…

The bill does not yet specify what powers the Heritage Authority would hold in Areas A and B. In 2024, the Security Cabinet instructed the Staff Officer for Archaeology to enforce antiquities-protection measures in Area B. If the new law authorizes oversight and management of antiquities in Areas A and B, it would mean that any construction within Palestinian Authority areas would require approval from the Heritage Authority. It is important to recall that all Palestinian towns and villages are situated near archaeological sites, so such a decision would have far-reaching consequences for Palestinian development and construction possibilities.”

EAST JERUSALEM

Israel Doubles Down on Land Registration in East Jerusalem, Posing Major Threat to Palestinians

Ir Amim issued a warning that Israel has expedited its work to complete land registration in East Jerusalem, a process which is likely to lead to the mass dispossession of Palestinians. The Israeli government has adopted a mandate to complete the registration by 2029.

Ir Amim writes:

“Since 2018, the land registration process, formally known as settlement of land title (SOLT), has become one of the state’s primary new tools for seizing Palestinian land and expanding Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem. The recent government decision allocates new budgets, increases government personnel, and explicitly stipulates the official involvement of the Custodian of Absentee Property, indicating a concerted effort to expand and expedite implementation of the process. As a department within the Ministry of Finance, the Custodian of Absentee Property is directly under the authority of Minister Bezalel Smotrich and has for years been one of the main Israeli bodies behind the transfer of Palestinian lands into state hands.

The formal inclusion of the Custodian in the land registration process raises serious alarm and underscores the government’s intent to accelerate mass land confiscations in East Jerusalem, placing Palestinians at an unprecedented risk of dispossession and displacement. This decision should not come as a surprise given the government’s clear intent to fast-track as many irreversible facts on the ground as possible ahead of Israeli national elections this year…

Further amplifying the threat, settler activist, Hananel Gurfinkel, was recently appointed to oversee and expand the operations of the Custodian of Absentee Property. Gurfinkel has long worked to advance Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem and takeover of Palestinian properties, while actively cooperating with settler groups. It is likely not a coincidence that Gurfinkel was appointed to the Custodian of Absentee Property under Smotrich’s authority as Finance Minister. Prior to this appointment, Gurfinkel served in the General Custodian under the Justice Ministry where he was responsible for administering pre-1948 Jewish assets in East Jerusalem. In this role, Gurfinkel helped to facilitate the eviction of Palestinian families and settler takeovers of their homes, including in Silwan, Sheikh Jarrah, and the Old City, while directly initiating settlement plans within Palestinian neighborhoods, including those noted above.”

Israel orders demolition of 14 homes in Silwan

On February 1st, Israel issued demolition notices to 15 homes built without Israel-issued building permits, located in the Al-Bustan neighborhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem. Ir Amim reports that the orders affect 134 Palestinians, who have been ordered by Israel to self-demolish their homes or watch Israeli forces do so and later be billed for it.

On February 3rd, Israeli authorities issued partial eviction notices to two additional families in Batn al-Hawa section of Silwan based on claims of pre-48 ownership by Jews of small parts of land where the homes are built. Meanwhile, 32 households are bracing for court-ordered dispossession within the next two months at the behest of the Ateret Cohanim settler organization.

WEST BANK SETTLEMENTS & OUTPOSTS

Israel is Working to Legalize 140 Farm Outpost

The Israeli Defense Minister announced that he is working with the Prime Minister to grant retroactive legalization to 140 farming outposts, which are in many cases tiny outfits manned by just a few settlers who are able to take over a massive amount of land through livestock farming. These farming outposts are also a very common locus for violence and terror.

Five Settlements Approved

On February 5th, the Israeli Ministry of Interior announced its recognition of five settlements, completing the process of legalizing outposts. Now considered legal under Israeli law, the settlements are eligible for: direct budget allocations from the Israeli government, connection to Israeli infrastructure including water, electricity, and postal service, and formal security protection.

The new settlements are:

Havat Gilad
Eival
Ma’oz Tzvi
Tamar
Neve Gedid – Gadi Camp

Smotrich celebrated, saying:

“In about two months, we managed to bring 25 settlement symbols and complete years of regularization processes. This is the result of hard work by many loyal partners.”

Plans for 161 New Settlement Units Advanced

Peace Now reports the High Planning Council met on February 11th to advance plans for 161 new settlement units. Those plans are:

Shvut Rachel: 160 new units (deposited for public review).The Shvut Rachel settlement is located near the Shilo settlement in the central West Bank.
Alon: 1 new unit (deposited for public review). The Alon settlement is located on the Palestinian side of the separation wall within sight of the Khan al-Ahmar bedouin village that Israel has been threatening to forcibly relocate. Israel recently raided Khan al-Ahmar and press reports indicate a new outpost had been built nearby.

So far in 2026, the High Planning Council has continued to meet weekly for consideration of settlement building plans.

Settlers Rebuild Outpost for 9th Time

Haaretz reports that settlers have managed to rebuild the Kol Mevaser outpost for the ninth time. The outpost has been demolished by the IDF eight times, in response to the vicious terrorism settlers living in the outpost have perpetrated on nearby Palestinian villages – most notably Mukhmas.

Rabbi Arik Ascherman tells Haaretz:

“It’s the same repeating loop,. The main story isn’t just violence. The army has been evacuating the outpost only for the settlers to rebuild it within a few hours. The defense establishment isn’t effectively using all its tools to prevent recurring attacks.”

2025 Settlement Data

Peace Now published “Summary of a Year of Terror, Expulsion, and Annexation — 2025 in the Settlements”. Key findings are:

86 new outposts, including 60 “agricultural farms” (an average of 1–2 outposts per week).
54 new official settlements approved by government decisions.
27,941 housing units approved by the Higher Planning Council
9,629 housing units included in settlement tenders.
27 new settlements were granted municipal jurisdiction areas.
1,269 Palestinian structures were demolished in Area C due to lack of building permits (OCHA data).
1,828 incidents of settler attacks resulting in bodily injury or property damage (OCHA data). 9 Palestinians were killed by settlers, and 838 Palestinians were injured.
22 Palestinian communities were fully or partially displaced due to settler violence (B’Tselem data).

Peace Now said in a statement:

“While inside Israel the government is dysfunctional, thousands of evacuees have not yet returned to their homes and tens of thousands of victims need rehabilitation, in the settlements the government acts like a well-oiled machine, investing billions and advancing construction and planning for the benefit of a small group of settlers in the government’s base. October 7th proved that one cannot simply “manage” the conflict — it must be resolved, and the solution requires a political agreement. The government’s rampage in the settlements condemns us to many more years of bloody conflict, diplomatic isolation, and heavy economic burden.”

GAZA

On February 5th hundreds of settlers attempted to illegally cross into Gaza for a tree-planting event organized by the Nachala settler group. Only a few managed to cross into the war zone, and were forced back out of Gaza by Israeli troops.

In conjunction with the illegal entry into Gaza, Nahala posted on social media: “no surrender to Trump’s dictates, no to an international Gaza, yes to a Jewish Gaza!””

SETTLER & STATE TERRORISM

IDF Tells Court It Can’t Protect Palestinians, Data Confirms

State counsel told the Supreme Court that the IDF is unable establish a permanent protective presence near the Palestinian village of Ras al-Ein al-Auja because of a personnel shortage. The state was arguing its case in response to a petition filed by the residents of Ras al-Ein al-Auja, seeking the State’s protection — a case filed nearly one year ago but taken up by the Court to late stop the forcible displacement of the village under constant settler terrorism. The petitioners are seeking to get the State’s cooperation in facilitating the safe return of the residents to the village and ongoing protection from settlers.

Confirming that the IDF is unable to stop settler violence, new Israeli Police data shows that settlers committed an average of four crimes a day against Palestinians during the first two weeks of the year. According to the police report, Israeli intelligence bodies belive that 300 teenage settlers are involved in violence, with 70 of them being “dominant and problematic.” Al Shabaka reminds in a new analysis: “Although media outlets often distinguish between settler and army violence—framing the former as “wildcards” acting independently of the latter—in practice, state and settler violence are indistinguishable, operating as mutually reinforcing arms of the same settler-colonial system. “ The Guardian recently reported on the settler-only IDF units that were set up in the wake of October 7, 2023 and have since come to be a vigilante militia force across the West Bank.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert wrote in Haaretz:

“A violent and criminal effort is underway to ethnically cleanse territories in the West Bank. Gangs of armed settlers persecute, harm, wound and even kill Palestinians living there. The rampages include burning olive groves, houses and cars; breaking into homes; and physically assaulting people.

They also harm, scatter and try to steal flocks of sheep. The rioters, the Jewish terrorists, storm Palestinians with hate and violence with one objective: to force them to flee from their homes. All this is done in the hopes that the land will then be prepared for Jewish settlement – en route to realizing the dream of annexing all the territories.

Police officers and soldiers are closing their eyes to all this. Those who try to defend the rioters claim that they are a small minority, a few dozen teenage hooligans who do not represent the public living in the territories, who ostensibly oppose the acts of violence. But we are talking about hundreds of violent young men who could not riot without having been armed at the initiative of, and inspiration by, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. In other words, a militia is operating in the West Bank with the backing, support and aid – direct and indirect – of Israeli government officials.

…In a properly functioning state (and Israel hasn’t been a properly functioning state for years), the police, State Prosecutor’s Office, courts, government, prime minister and the president would stand against these rioters. But it seems that in a country where all the rules of public conduct have been broken, and the most basic principles of human decency and tolerance have been trampled, the chances that any of them will stand up and stop the crimes are vanishingly small.”

BONUS READS

“The theft at the heart of Israel’s booming wine industry” (+972 Magazine, 1/30/2026)
REPORT: “Israel is Illegally Forcing Out Thousands of West Bank Palestinians” (DAWN, 1/21/26)
“Thwarted tree-planting underscores daily torments for embattled Palestinian hamlet” (The Times of Israel, 2/3/2026)
“Life and loss in Umm al-Khair, an island within a settlement” (Mondoweiss, 2/5/2026)
“Yair Golan vows not to fund settlements if he comes to power” (The Times of Israel, 2/3/26)
“What Yair Golan’s Vow to Cut Settlement Funding Could Mean for Israel’s Next Election” (Haaretz, 2/3/26)
“Sovereignty Movement highlights importance of safeguarding Israel’s state land in Samaria, Judea” (JNS, 1/8/2026)
“Yes, Israel Can Apply Israeli Law to the West Bank” (Eugene Kontorovich in Tablet, 1/14/2026)

Welcome to FMEP’s Weekly Settlement & Annexation Report. To subscribe to this report, please click here.

January 30, 2026

West Bank Settlements & Outposts: More Funding for Settler-Only Roads; Expanded Settler Access to Joseph’s Tomb, Soil Smuggling, and More
Settler Terrorism: Pogrom in Masafer Yatta, Displacement in Sinjil, and More
Bonus Reads

West Bank Settlements & Outposts

Israel Allocated More Funds for New Roads & More for Settlers

Peace Now reports that the Israeli government approved some 550 million shekels ($177.97 million) for the “reinforcement of security components,” most of which will be directed to the West Bank. The funds will be used for paving new settler security roads, upgrades to bus stations and armored buses, and new security features for settlements like fences, lighting, gates, cameras, and sensors.

The Palestine Chronicle further reports that part of the budget will be used for the construction of Route 45 (aka the “Quarry Road”), a settler-only bypass road that would connect settlements south of Ramallah to Jerusalem. Israel expropriated Palestinian land in January 2025 to allow for the construction of this road.

Peace Now said in a statement:

“Under the pretext of “security components,” the government has already invested hundreds of millions of shekels in illegal outposts and violent settler farms in the occupied territories. It is now seeking to further expand this budget, deepening Israel’s security and economic entanglement in the occupied territories. It is now clear to all — especially after Oct. 7 — that the settlements constitute a security and economic burden on Israel, yet the government continues to serve only its settler base.”

For the First Time in 25 Years, Settlers Allowed Morning Prayers Joseph’s Tomb

Israeli Defense Minister Katz agreed to allow settlers to perform morning prayers at Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus for the first time in 25 years. Joseph’s Tomb is a holy site for Jews and cultural site for Palestinians, located in the heart of Nablus. The site has long been a flashpoint for violence because the Tomb (and entrance to it) requires settlers to pass through very densely populated Palestinian neighborhoods.

On January 29th, Israeli ministers and settler leaders led a group of 1,500 people under a heavy security escort to Joseph’s Tomb. In 2000 during the Second Intifada, Israeli officials restricted Israeli access to the site to nighttime hours in hopes of minimizing conflict.

Israel is Trucking Soil from Tel Aviv to West Bank to Build New Outposts & Settlements

Kerem Navot told Haaretz that Israeli trucks are smuggling a large amount of soil from Tel Aviv construction sites to the West Bank in order to prepare the land for the expansion of at least two outposts. The soil has been transferred reportedly without the permission of the Israeli Civil Administration, and is apparently a widespread phenomenon in part because environmental regulations in the West Bank and relaxed (and bent to favor Israeli interests) and because Israel lacks regulated sites where excess construction debris can be deposited.

There has been increased construction at the two outposts, Havat Tzurim and Shacharit, preparing for what Haaretz calls “the outposts’ emerging farm operations.” Schacharit was granted retroactive legalization by the Israeli government in 2023 along with 9 others outposts, but Havat Tzurim remains illegal under Israeli law. None of the current construction is legal.

Haaretz reports:

“Settlers often frame the establishment of outposts and farms as a means of protecting nature and preserving landscapes from damage allegedly caused by the activity of Palestinians, such as overgrazing and illegal hunting. However, the dumping of excess soil increases the risk of waste contaminants seeping into groundwater reservoirs, which communities rely on for drinking and irrigation, while road construction and other land preparation activities increase the risk of erosion, flooding and other runoff issues.”

Greater Jerusalem: Atarot, Sheikh Jarrah, Sovereignty Road, UNRWA

Atarot

Peace Now (link) and Ir Amim (link) report the Israeli District Planning Committee met on January 12th to advance a plan for the construction of the Atarot settlement, located on the northern tip of east Jerusalem. Though the plan was eligible to be deposited for public review, the committee asked for amendments to the plan, and will schedule another hearing to once again consider depositing the plan.

The plan for the Atarot settlement, which has existed since 2007, calls for a huge new settlement on the site of the defunct Qalandiya Airport, located on a sliver of land between Ramallah and Jerusalem. In its current form, the plan provides for up to 9,000 residential units for ultra-Orthodox Jews (assuming, conservatively, an average family size of 6, this means housing for 54,000 people), as well as synagogues, ritual baths (mikvehs), commercial properties, offices and work spaces, a hotel, and a water reservoir. If built, the Atarot settlement will effectively be an Israeli city surrounded by Palestinian East Jerusalem neighborhoods on three sides and Ramallah to its north. Geopolitically, it will have a similar impact to E-1 in terms of dismembering the West Bank and cutting it off from Jerusalem. For more on the Atarot settlement plan, please see here.

Sheikh Jarrah – “Nahalat Shimon” Plan

In addition to its consideration of the Atarot plan, the Jerusalem District Planning Committee also discussed an “urban renewal” project that outlines the construction of a new settlement enclave in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, requiring the demolition of the Um Haroun Palestinian section of Sheikh Jarrah. The Committee discussed the plan, but decided to hold another, yet unscheduled, meeting for further consideration.

Palestinians in Umm Haroun have spent years in legal battles against Israeli settlers (backed by the Israeli courts) to remain in their homes, and now – making an end run around the legal cases – the Israeli government is pursuing the demolition of 40 homes in Um Haroun. See Ir Amim’s comprehensive July 2025 report on Sheikh Jarah, including the Nahalat Shimon plan, here.

Apartheid Road

Israel announced that it will soon begin construction on a new section of the so-called “Sovereignty Road” between Elazariya and A-Az’ayem. Peace Now estimates that the road will close the entire area of Ma’ale Adumim and the E1 area to Palestinians, some 3% of the West Bank, and de facto annex the area to Israel. The “Sovereignty Road” is designed to seal and divert Palestinian traffic around the area where Israel intends to build the E-1 settlement just east of Jerusalem.

UNRWA

Israel is moving towards the total closure of UNRWA operations in Jerusalem. See reporting:

“The UN Footprint in Occupied East Jerusalem is Shrinking Fast” (UNRWA, 1/14/26)
“East Jerusalem: Forced shutdown of UN clinic signals escalating disregard for international law” (United Nations, 1/14/26)
“Israel shutters UNRWA health clinic in Jerusalem’s Old City for 30 days” (The Times of Israel, 1/15/26)
“Palestinian UNRWA Vocational Training Center Faces Closure by Israel” (Haaretz, 1/16/26)

More News and Anlysis from Jerusalem

“For Hundreds of Palestinians, a 2-kilometer Jerusalem Commute Takes Three Hours” (Haaretz, 1/11/26)
“‘A race against time’: Jerusalem’s Silwan faces escalating Israeli expulsions” (Middle East Eye, 1/12/26)

West Bank Settlement & Outpost Construction

Israel Grants Licenses to Five Settlements

On January 14th the Israeli government approved licenses to five settlements that have recently been granted authorization. The settlements are: Homesh, Yondif, Jibot, Betron, and Kedem Arava. Except for Homesh, the newly licensed settlements are all currently existing outposts. With a license, the settlements are officially recognized as legal under Israeli law and can be fully integrated into Israel’s domestic planning and services. In a post on X about the licenses, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, the move is a step towards his goal “to crush the idea of a Palestinian state.”

Settler Terrorism

Confirming what seems obvious, Haaretz reports that settler violence against Palestinians rose dramatically in 2025, by 25% compared to 2024, and increase that the IDF ties directly to the rapid expansion of settlement farms in the two years since October 2023.

Ras Ein al-Auja

The bedouin community of Ras Ein al-Auja, in the Jordan Valley, has been displaced at the hands of violent settlers backed by the IDF. Over 100 residents were forced to dismantle their homes and flee the area, where settlers recently established an outpost which has been used as a base for violent attacks on Ras Ein al-Auja.

Al Mugghayir

On January 16th Israeli forces shot and killed a 14-year old Palestinian, Mohammed Naasan, during a military raid on the village of Al-Mughayyir, located near Ramallah. Earlier that same day settlers invaded under IDF protection, land belonging to Al-Mughayyir. Settlers have repeatedly raided Mughayyir in recent weeks.

Welcome to FMEP’s Weekly Settlement & Annexation Report. To subscribe to this report, please click here.

December 19, 2025

Rajabi Family Evicted from Home in Silwan, Settlers Move In; More Evictions Expected
Israel Advances Plans for the Atarot Settlement
Preliminary Details on 19 New Settlements
Settlers Cross Into Gaza, Again, With No Repercussions
Governing Coalition to Push Annexation Ahead of 2026 Elections
Israel Continues Holding Jordan Valley Activist With No Charges
State-Backed Settler Terror this Week
The History and Power of Settler Militias
Bonus Reads

Rajabi Family Evicted from Home in Silwan, Settlers Move In; More Evictions Expected

On December 14th, three households of the Rajabi family were forced by settlers and the Israeli court system to leave their home of 50 years in the Batan al-Hawa section of Silwan, East Jerusalem. In distressing scenes captured on video, 14 members of the Rajabi family left the home that they owned and built. Two family members are disabled, one of which is in a coma and was displaced from his home on a stretcher. Once the Rajabi family had left, settlers promptly moved in.

Dozens of Palestinian families – hundreds of people – in Batan al-Hawa are awaiting the same fate as the Rajabi family. This week the Basbous family was handed an eviction notice, ordering them to leave their home by January 5, 2026.

Ateret Cohanim is behind nearly a dozen lawsuits seeking the eviction of approximately 700 Palestinians from the Batan al-Hawa section of Silwan. The settler group has pursued the mass displacement of Palestinians in Silwan since gaining control of a pre-1948 land trust – called the Benvenisti Trust – which owned land in Silwan in the 19th century. In 2002, the Israeli Custodian General agreed to transfer land in Batan al-Hawa to the Trust/Ateret Cohanim. Since then, Ateret Cohanim has accelerated its multifaceted campaign to remove Palestinians from their homes, claiming that the Palestinians are illegally squatting on sacred land owned by the Trust. Notably, under Israeli law, Palestinians enjoy no similar right to reclaim land that belonged to them before 1948 (to the contrary – Israeli law is engineered to erase Palestinian properties rights based, largely based on the absentee property law).

Ir Amim writes:

“With this eviction, the number of Palestinian families who have lost their homes to settlers in Batan al-Hawa in less than 15 months rises to 12 families, as part of a systematic campaign aimed at displacing Palestinian residents. Hundreds of more residents from Batan Al-Hawa face the same fate as the Rajabi Family as Ateret Cohanim and the state intensify their efforts against Palestinian families in the area.”

For more resources on Ateret Cohanim and the mass displacement of Palestinians it is effectuating in Silwan, see resources from Ir Amim and Peace Now.

Israel Advances Plans for the Atarot Settlement

The Israeli government is advancing plans for the construction of the massive Atarot settlement, planned for the site of the former Qalandiya airport between Ramallah and East Jerusalem. The plans were submitted to the Jerusalem District Planning Committee for a hearing on December 17th, and were expected to approve an outline plan for the settlement.

The Atarot settlement plan was last considered in 2021 when Naftali Bennet was Prime Minister, but was delayed from consideration by the planning committee – reportedly at the urging of U.S. Secretary of State Blinken. The Committee delayed advancement of the plan by ordering an environmental study which was expected to take about one year. Notably, in ordering the study, the Court made it clear that the environmental study is “standard practice” and expressed support for the underlying plan, saying it believes the plan represents a proper use of unutilized land reserves.

Just recently, he Israeli Knesset recently approved a large budget for the Environmental Protection Ministry to restore and rehabilitate contaminated land a the Atarot site for eventual settlement construction.

Peace Now said in a statement:

“This is a destructive plan that, if implemented, would prevent any possibility of connecting East Jerusalem with the surrounding Palestinian area and would, in practice, prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. The Netanyahu government is seizing every moment to bury our chances for a future of peace and compromise. Especially now, when it is clear to everyone that the ideas of ‘managing the conflict’ and ‘decisive victory’ have led to a security disaster for Israel, we must act to resolve the conflict.”

Jerusalem expert Daniel Seidemann notes that it is worth recalling that, under the Trump “Peace to Prosperity” plan unveiled in 2019, the area where the Atarot settlement is planned for was designated as a “special tourist zone” under Palestinian control. Following news that the plan is being revived, Seidemann posted:

“This is also a big middle finger to Trump. The Trump “Deal of the Century” awards virtually all of Jerusalem, East & West, to Israel. The one exception that is reserved for the Palestinians is the area of Atarot/Qualandia. The Netanyahu regime is now taking that.”

Preliminary Details on 19 New Settlements

As reported last week as news broke, the Israeli security cabinet has reportedly voted to approve the establishment of 19 new settlements. If the approvals are confirmed, Peace Now reports this will mean the Israeli government has approved the establishment of 68 new settlements since 2023. Prior to 2023, there were 141 settlements, the new total would be 209.

Mu’ayyan Sa’ban, head of the Palestinian Authority’s Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, told The Times of Israel:

“The decision by the so-called ‘Israeli occupation cabinet’ to establish and settle 19 new colonies across the West Bank constitutes the latest step in a race to annihilate Palestinian geography for the sake of settler colonialism.”

While precise information about all of the new settlements plans are not known (the security cabinet deliberates in private and does not publish its decisions), Peace Now reports what is believed to be details of the 19 new settlements:

- 2 settlements – Ganim and Kadim – that were dismantled by the Israeli government as part of the 2005 Gaza Disengagement Plan. Haaretz adds that “in practice, it completes the repeal of the Disengagement Plan in the northern West Bank and paves the way for rebuilding the settlements that were evacuated from that area in 2005. It would increase army presence in the area, most of which was placed under Palestinian control by the Oslo Accords. It’s an explosive, unilateral move that deepens Israel’s control over a sensitive, densely populated Palestinian area, and it will quite likely lead to escalation”
- 10 might be currently-existing illegal outposts that the government is granting full authorization to (rewarding settler lawlessness):
  - Bezek – currently a farming outpost located on the highest peak between the Jordan Valley and the Jenin area.
  - Esh Kodesh – located near the Palestinians village of Jalud and Qusra
  - Kida – located near the Palestinian town of Duma
  - Kokhav Hashahar North – likely to be constructed at the site of the Nahalah Ephraim farming outpost, located east of Ein Samia. This outpost and future settlement are built on the lands from which the Palestinian village of Ein Samia was expelled.
  - Mishuol – reportedly to be constructed west of Ramallahe near the Naaleh settlement, potentially at the site of the Shalom Farm outpost. This outpost and future settlement are built on the lands from which the Palestinian village of Arab al-Jahalin was expelled.
  - Nof Gilad – while not totally clear, this might be establishing a settlement at the site of a farming outpost of the same name located in the Jordan Valley (inside the Umm Zuqa nature reserve), or it might be a new settlement at the site of the Nezach Harel farming outpost located between Taybeh and Jericho. This outpost and future settlement are built on the lands from which the Palestinian village of Mu’arrajat was expelled.
  - Rosh HaAyin East – reportedly to be constructed at the site of the Shirat David farming outpost near the Palestinian villages of Zawiya and Deir Ballut, south of Qalqilya in the central West Bank.
  - Shalem – currently a farming outpost located just east of Nablus.
  - Yitav West – this might be constructed at the site of the Aujua farming outpost, near the bedouin village of Ras al-’Ain, a community which is facing the threat of displacement under constant settler violence.
  - Yatziv (Shadma) – this outpost was established only one month ago on an abandoned Israeli military base adjacent to the Palestinian town of Beit Sahour, near Bethlehem.

- 5 appear to be new settlements on land where there is currently no Israeli presence:
  - Allenby – reportedly to be constructed near the Allenby checkpoint, located in the Jordan Valley by Jericho.
  - Tamum – likely near the Palestinian village of Tamum, located between the Jordan Valley and the Nablus area.
  - Nahal Doran – expected to be built between the settlements of Shima and Adoraim, located just north of the Palestinian village of Yatta in the southern West Bank.
  - Ya’ar al-Keren – reportedly to be constructed south of Bethlehem, between the Palestinian towns of Beit Ummar and the Al-’Arrub refugee camp.

- 2 are reportedly neighborhoods of existing settlements, but are being upgraded to new status which will allow for greater growth:
  - Givat Harel – located between the Palestinian towns of Sinjil and Lubban al-Sharqiya. The Times of Israel reminds that Givat Harel was granted status as an authorized, independent settlement in February 2023. It is unclear why it is being approved again.
  - Pnei Kedem – currently considered a neighborhood of the Mezad (Asfar) settlement, located east of the Palestinian village of Sa’ir.
  - Reihanit – reportedly to be constructed near the Palestinian village of Ya’bad in the far northern West Bank.

Peace Now said in a statement:

“The government is doing everything it can to entrench Israel’s presence in the territories and to foreclose the possibility of a future of peace and two states for two peoples. Establishing settlements in areas where Israel has not previously had a presence is intended to sever Palestinian territorial continuity and to destroy what little economic development remains possible for Palestinians. The government’s policy is not only immoral, but also a security and economic folly that will further worsen Israel’s situation.”

Settlers Cross Into Gaza, Again, With No Repercussions

Over the past week the settler group Nahala has organized at least two groups of settlers to enter Gaza (an active war zone) and perform symbolic acts pushing for the establishment of Israeli settlements in Gaza. The illegal crossings were part of a Hanukkah celebration on December 18th, attended by several MKs from the ruling party, called “Raising the Flag in Gaza.” Reportedly, the settlers asked to hold the event in Gaza, but did not receive permission.

The event organized at least two groups to enter. One group drove a vehicle into Gaza and were able to raise an Israeli flag before being removed by the IDF. In a separate location, another large group broke down a barrier and attempted to cross a fence border, but were stopped by Israeli forces.

No settlers were arrested.

Daniella Weiss, leader of the Nahala organization, said:

“It is precisely in these days that we need to say in a clear voice what is obvious: Gaza belongs to the people of Israel. And we must start settling in Gaza now. This is a just and correct demand that has significant support from a large majority of the public in the State of Israel.”

Governing Coalition to Push Annexation Ahead of 2026 Elections

Haaretz reports that over the course of the Knesset’s winter session, and ahead of Israeli elections anticipated for the fall of 2026, the Israeli governing coalition is pushing bills that Knesset bills that impose Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, i.e. annexation.

Israel Continues Holding Jordan Valley Activist With No Charges

Israel issued a six-month extension on the administrative detention of Ayman Ghrayeb, a prominent Palestinian human rights defender who was detained at the direction of settlers on November 17th (and then disappeared for two days only to reappear and report severe torture requiring hospitalization). Israel’s administrative detention protocol allow for infinite renewals of the order, and does not require Israel to, at any point, bring charges or provide evidence of a crime. ACRI reports Israel is currently holding 3,350 Palestinians in administrative detention, a figure that is three times higher than it was prior to October 7, 2023.

State-Backed Settler Terror this Week

Settlers continued to terrorize Palestinians across the West Bank this week, and the violence has now spilled into Israel proper.

On December 12th, three settlers attacked a Palestinian family – including a woman who is 9 months pregnant and her two children – while driving in Jaffa. They admitted to pepper spraying the family and reportedly called the woman, Hanan Abu Shehadeh, a “stinking Arab.” The attackers are members of the Hilltop Youth settler group, and have at times banned from entering the West Bank because of their violence against Palestinians. The trio was arrested a few days after the attack, and appeared in court on the 16th where the Israeli police rep told the court the attack was planned and racially motivated. The Court ordered their detention for at least five days pending charges.

On December 16th in Tuqu’, settlers shot and killed a Palestinian teen who, along with four friends, was running away from a highway road and an unidentified black vehicle. The IDF alleges the teens had been throwing rocks at the vehicle. The murder of Muheeb occurred in the hours following a funeral for 16-year old Ammar Sabah, who was shot and killed by the IDF during a raid of Tuqu’ just the day before.

Writing in The Hill, a publication targeted at and widely read by staff members in the U.S. Congress, a Palestinian-American explains the violence and fear Palestinians are experiencing in Turmusaya, where there are many U.S. citizens living. The author, Yaser Alkam, calls on the U.S. to do more to protect its citizens and all Palestinians, writing:

“With only the rarest of exceptions, our attackers go unpunished. I have repeatedly reported settler attacks to the U.S. Embassy and asked for protection, only to receive vague and non-committal responses with little to no follow-up. Every U.S. administration for decades has fueled a sense of impunity among Israelis that they can do whatever they want — including killing U.S. citizens — and the U.S. will not demand accountability or place conditions on the billions of dollars in military funding given to Israel annually.

With the Gaza ceasefire deal, President Trump has shown that he is willing to rein Israel in. He can and must do the same when it comes to settler violence — not just for the sake of Palestinian-Americans, but for all Palestinians who are suffering daily from Israel’s military occupation and forced displacement.”

The History and Power of Settler Militias

Drop Site News reports takes a deep dive into the official deputization of settler militia groups, since 1964, to police Palestinians across the West Bank, creating a system of extreme violence and no accountability. The report says that 450 settler rapid response squads existed prior to October 7, 2023, after which 700 new squads were constituted by Ben Gvir, who also provided 10,000 assault rifles to the effort in addition to loosening gun ownership eligibility.

Drop Site writes:

“Rights groups report that complaints about organized violence by armed settlers routinely bounce between various jurisdictions of Israeli authorities. Police classify suspects as “military auxiliaries” and pass the files to the army; the army returns them as “civilian” cases; civilian authorities cite military jurisdiction, and the investigations close for “lack of evidence.”…’They don’t distinguish even between the hagmar and the rapid-response squads, everyone’s in uniform now,’ a resident from the South Hebron Hills told Drop Site on condition of anonymity. ‘I know many of them by name. Some even have criminal records. Now they’ve been given uniforms’.”

Bonus Reads

“Israel is seizing an ancient historical site to turn it into a tourist site” (NPR, 12/18/25)
“‘A Cause for Serious Concern’ Germany Condemns Israeli Plan to Build Over 750 Housing Units Across West Bank” (Haaretz, 12/13/2025)
“Katz and Smotrich: Palestinian waste burning in West Bank is threat to national security” (Ynet, 12/18/2025)

Welcome to FMEP’s Weekly Settlement & Annexation Report. To subscribe to this report, please click here.

December 13, 2025

Israeli Cabinet Approves Smotrich’s Five-Year, $843 Million De-Facto Annexation Plan

The Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot reports that Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has earmarked $843million (NIS 2.7billion) over the next five years to expand settlements and outposts across the West Bank, describing it as de facto annexation. The earmark was added to the state budget, which was passed by the Israeli cabinet last week. The budget needs to pass three votes in the Knesset before becoming law.

Among the projects to be funded are:

$70 million to create a land-registration unit, a team of 41 staff which will takeover responsibility from the Israeli Civil Administration and initiate a systematic mapping of West Bank land registrations, transferring those records to a new dedicated West Bank registry.
Establish 17 new settlements;
$300M for new settlement construction and reinforcement;
$93M for outposts being legalized;
Mobile “absorption clusters” of 20 caravans each thatcan rapidly move in settlers to establish new settlements;
3 Israeli army bases to be relocated into northern West Bank Palestinian areas, including the relocation of the “Menashe” brigade, which is a “dramatic” move “intended to strengthen the military and colonial grip on the region.”;
New army roads, armored settler buses, synagogues, and utilities.

IDF Whistleblower: IDF Is Actively Facilitating New Farming Outposts

An IDF officers told a popular Israeli news program that the IDF is fully aware of and helping to facilitate the establishment of new illegal outposts, reporting that the head of the IDF Central Command Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth issued an order that allocates IDF resources for establishing new farming outposts. As a reminder, farming outposts have become a preferred model of outpost growth because they require only minimal settlers with livestock that can take over huge amounts of land, dispossessing huge numbers of Palestinians.

The hand-in-hand partnership with the outposts was formalized by Maj. Gen. Bluth, who was appointed head of the IDF Central Command in July 2024. Previously, the whistleblower claims the army did not know about new outposts until they were set up by the settlers on their own accord. Marking a huge change in policy, Bluth appointed Elitzur Trabelsi as the key coordinator for new outposts, an arrangement described by the whistleblower:

“Trabelsi spares the Central Command chief from having to get his hands dirty. He goes, handles the matter, and gets involved in all of the plans to establish the farms. He tours the farm with the owner, interviews him. After the tour, he involves the regional brigade commander, updates him, sends out maps, and then goes to the command chief for approval – and thus the farm is established with full coordination…

It’s not just tacit coordination. In the division and regional brigade, there is actually an order for ‘establishing farms on the ground.’ It details the forces allocated to secure the farm, how they are deployed and how many caravans are on the farm. He runs a completely organized process…

You can no longer control it, and there’s this cycle: A farm is established, it creates friction, that friction generates more friction, which leads to an attack, the attack leads to the expansion of the farm, and the desire to turn it into a settlement. It’s an event that never ends,” the officer said. “The IDF is knowingly involved in an illegal activity that is not part of its role.”

Following the news program, Peace Now has called for an investigation and dismissal of Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth over this criminality, saying:

“Bluth has turned the IDF into an auxiliary force serving the Hilltop Youth terrorists. He cannot remain in uniform.”

B’Tselem spokesperson Sarit Michaeli said:

“The “Zman Emet” expose provides the smoking gun – in the form of an officer whistleblower – for what we have been saying all along – that the Israeli Army, under the OC Central Command Maj Gen Avi Bluth, is instrumental in establishing settler terror farms. The success of the settler farm model in ethnically cleansing large swaths of land in the West Bank is the direct result of this state support, which takes the form of funding, political backing, military protection and orchestration, & police-granted impunity.”

Israel Announces Plans to Legalize Another 19 Outposts

Andalou Agency reports that on December 11th, the Israeli Security Cabinet approved plans to legalize 19 outposts, including the reestablishment of the Ganim and Kadim settlements in the northern West Bank (which were dismantled by the Israeli government in 2005 along with Homesh and Sa-Nur, both of which have already received government approval to be reestablished). The other 16 outposts to be legalized are not named in current news reports.

According to Ynet, the decision and announcement was coordinated in advance with the United States.

As a reminder, the Israeli Knesset passed legislation repealing the 2005 Disengagement Law in order to clear the way for settlers to reestablish four settlements in the northern West Bank – Homesh, Sa-Nur, Kadim, and Ganim. The IDF then issued a military closure order against three of the settlements, allowing settlers to enter the Homesh area (where settlers had illegally built and continue to run a yeshiva).

Eight Outposts Receive Final Authorization

The Israeli Interior Ministry publicly revealed municipal emblems to eight outposts that the government approved to be legalized, marking the end of the legalization process. In announcing the emblems, Smotrich said:

“We are advancing de facto sovereignty [of the West Bank] on the ground to prevent any possibility of establishing an Arab state in Judea and Samaria.”

Since returning to office in late 2022 (at which time Netanyahu agreed to granting full authorization and state services to all outposts), the Netanyahu-Smotrich government has been advancing the expansion of settlements and the legalization of outposts at an astronomical rate. The Times of Israel reports that: “in total, some 49 new settlements or illegal outposts have been approved for construction or retroactive legalization under the current government. Prior to the tenure of the current administration, which began in late 2022, virtually no new settlements had been approved or outposts legalized since the late 1990s.” In addition to the government’s actions to legalize existing outposts, the government has also fully enabled the establishment of at least 174 new illegal settlements over the past three years according to Peace Now.

The outposts which are now fully legal settlements are:

Sa-Nur: The establishment of a boundary for the Sa-Nur settlement is the culmination of years of agitation by settlers and eager support from Israeli officials to re-establish settlements which the government dismantled in 2005.
Ahiya: The Ahiya outpost received initial government approval in March 2024, when it was included in the expanded borders of the nearby Shilo settlement in the central West Bank. Ahiya is located in an string of settlements that are designed to form an uninterrupted corridor of Israeli control connecting sovereign Israel to the Ariel settlement, through the isolated Shiloh Valley settlements, all the way to the Jordan Valley. In so doing, it will completely bisect the northern part of the West Bank.
Haresha: Located east of Ramallah and surrounded by privately owned Palestinian land, the Israeli government has successfully used the Haresha outpost as a test case for new legal tools to justify the expropriation of privately owned Palestinian land in order to retroactively legalize outposts.
Adei Ad: Located in the Shiloh Valley, the Israeli government announced its plan to retroactively legalize the Adei Ad outpost in August 2018 by expanding the borders of the nearby Amichai settlement (a settlement which was established as a reward to settler law-breakers who evacuated from the unauthorized Amona outpost). The Adei Ad outpost has been a source of violent settlers launching attacks on nearby Palestinian communities, including Turmus Ayya.
Shvut Rachel: Located in the Shiloh Valley, the Israeli government expanded the boarders of the nearby Shilo settlement in order to legalize the Shvut Rachel outpost.
Tel Menashe: located located on the tip of the northern West Bank, inside the “seam zone” between the 1967 Green Line and the Israel separation barrier.
Migron: located south east of Ramallah.
Nofei Prat: located east of Jerusalem.

Netanyahu Denies Report He Ordered 14 Outposts to be Dismantled

On December 6th, Israeli Channel 12 news reported that at a recent security meeting Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered the removal of 14 illegal outposts defined as “centers of Jewish extremism and national crime”, a report that Netanyahu quickly denied. The order was reportedly aimed at responding to international criticism of and attention to settler terrorism, and U.S. In addition to evacuating outposts, the report also suggested the security cabinet decided to detain ~70 settlers known to participate in violence against Palestinians and Israeli forces, and issue orders banning 30 of them from the West Bank.

Settlers Removed from Four Outposts, Buildings Remain

On December 7th, Israeli Border Police removed settlers from four illegal outposts that were located in closed military zones across the West Bank. Though the settlers were removed, the outposts – which are not named in reports – have not been dismantled and no buildings were demolished – the IDF even denied that any outposts were “evacuated”, insisting that the army was just enforcing closed military zone orders.

Israel Approves 764 New Settlement Units

On December 10th the Israeli Higher Planning Council gave final approval for the construction of 764 in three settlements across the West Bank, in addition to depositing a plan for public review for 1 additional unit in the Eli settlement.

The final approvals were granted for:

Beitar Illit: 230 new settlement units
Hashmonaim: 478 new settlement units. Hashmonaim located in the northern West Bank just over the Green Line near the Israeli town Mod’in. Over half of the residents of the Hashmonaim settlement are American settlers from New York.
Givat Zeev: 56 new settlement units

Smotrich touted the fact that 51,370 new settlement units have been approved by the Higher Planning Council since his takeover of most municipal powers in the West Bank Area C.

Construction to Begin on Oz Station, Making Way for Expansion of Nof Zion Enclave

Peace Now reports the Israeli Knesset has approved financing for the construction of the new Oz Station, moving the station from its current location on the border of Jabal Mukaber to a site across the street (where it will become a massive Israeli security headquarters). Moving the police station will allow Israel to significantly expand the Nof Zion settlement enclave, located in the heart of the Palestinian East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabal Mukaber.

With the approval of a budget for construction, work on the new station is expected to begin soon.

At the time the plan to move the Oz was introduced Ir Amim filed a petition against it, saying that it is an affront to the planning needs of the local community and continues Israel’s systematic, city-wide discrimination against the housing, educational, and service-based needs of Palestinian neighborhoods. Ir Amim further explained how the interconnected plans in Jabal Mukaber will impact Palestinian residents:

“Expanding the settlement towards the main entrance of Jabal Mukabber will infringe on the residents’ freedom of movement and further disrupt the fabric of life in the neighborhood. Prior experience show that during clashes and periods of tension and instability, Israel rushes to impose collective restrictions under the pretext of protecting Israeli settlers.”

The plan to expand the Nof Zion enclave outlines 100 new residential units and 275 hotel rooms in the settlement enclave, and is part of a larger scheme to connect the enclave to the built-up area of East Talpiot – a scheme which would cut deeply into the Jabal Mukaber neighborhood and entrench the expanding continuum of Israeli settlements surrounding Jerusalem.

IDF Uproots Olives Trees in Qaryut to Make Way for Settlement Road

On December 7th the IDF began destroying agricultural land and uprooting more than 500 olive trees belonging to the Palestinian village of Qaryut, located south of Nablus in the central West Bank and surrounded to the south, east, and west by settlements and outposts.

According to Kerem Navot, the IDF is confiscating privately owned Palestinian land and destroying the groves in order to facilitate the construction of a new ring road for the nearby Eli settlement and its satellite outposts. Residents of Qaryut report to Haaretz that the IDF failed to carry out the required procedure in advance of the destruction, and in so doing did not provide an opportunity for the village to submit an appeal against the confiscation.

In addition, residents of Qaryut say that the destruction has exceeded the boundaries of the land Israel recently confiscated via military order, and the IDF has not only uprooted centuries old olive trees but also destroyed the village’s water wells. Residents also say that the military order provides that the IDF remove the trees and replant them elsewhere, but video footage shows the trees have been severely damaged and are not able to be replanted.

Qaryut is surrounded by six settlements and has been the target of frequent violent attacks, which have continued to escalate in the wake of a new illegal outpost that settlers installed nearby in January 2025. Dror Etkes, founder of the anti-settlement watchdog group Kerem Navot, has documented the explained the terrible situation facing Qaryut saying, “What has been happening in the past few days in the Krayot is yet another example from which we can learn how the monster of settlement and land plunder operates in the West Bank.”

Settlers Enter Gaza & Ministers Press for Gaza Hanukkah Ceremony

Dozens of settlers crossed into Gaza on December 10th in an effort to advance their campaign to build Israeli settlements there. The group, which documented their activities, attempted to plant trees, declaring in a video “all of the Land of Israel is ours.” The IDF detained the group and transferred them back to Israeli police.

Meanwhile, a group of 11 Israeli Ministers and 21 MKs signed a letter to Defense Minister Katz urging him to allow settlers to raise the Israeli flag at the site of a former Gaza settlement Nisanit to mark the upcoming Hanukkah holiday. An anonymous source told The Times of Israel that Minister Katz is unlikely to approve the event. The letter read:

“It is time to proudly affirm that Gaza is part of the Land of Israel, belongs exclusively to the Jewish people, and must therefore immediately become part of the State of Israel….We request an authorization for this event, which is essentially intended to hoist the Israeli flag over the ruins of the town of Nisanit.”

Massive Delegation of U.S. Evangelicals Call for Israeli Annexation of the West Bank

Israel paid for a group of nearly 1,000 American Evangelicals to come to Israel, where the group appears to have been asked and trained to advocate for Israel’s annexation of the West Bank vis a vis Trump and U.S. Congress. The group is being touted as the larges delegation of Christian leaders to visit Israel.

The leaders of the trip was Mike Evans, who is the founder of Jerusalem’s Friends of Zion Museum, and who served on President Donald Trump’s evangelical advisory committee in his first term. Speaking the the group at the Shilo settlement, Evans addressed President Trump and VP Vance, referring to a Bible in his hand Evans said:

“This is more important than you. This is more important than me. This is the word of God, and it’s the reason the president is the president because we mobilized behind him, and we love him. But you said something that is not accurate. You said that the policy of the administration is that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel. Mr. Vice President, we love you, and we love America, but the policy of the God who birthed America and the policy of the God who gave these people this land is in fact that Judea and Samaria is Bible land. Eighty percent of Bible stories come out of Judea and Samaria. So don’t pressure Israel to give illegal, radical Islam Jew-haters Judea and Samaria.”

Briefing the group, the head of a Benaymin settler regional council Yisrael Gantz names the delegation as “ambassadors of Judea and Samaria,” asking them:

“Guys, please help us with your representatives in D.C.. Applying Israeli law here is the justice of God. We didn’t take anyone else’s land. We came here because God sent us here, and we have to complete his mission. We will do it together.”

On December 10th, the Foriegn Affairs Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives held a hearing entitled, “Understanding Judea and Samaria: Historical, Strategic, and Political Dynamics in U.S.–Israel Relations” (video). As reported by FMEP’s Lara Friedman in her weekly Legislative Round Up (subscribe):

“Witnesses were: Eugene Kontorovich, Heritage Foundation/Kohelet Forum (statement); Morton Klein, Zionist Organization of America (statement); and Jon Alterman, CSIS (statement) [Center for International Policy’s Matt Duss trenchantly observed on X: “A great demonstration of what “diversity” means in hearings on Israel-Palestine: Zionist, batshit right wing Zionist, and an actual Israeli settler. Imagine a hearing on the history and political dynamics of eastern Ukraine featuring only Russian or pro-Russian witnesses.“]

For details of this hearing — which offered a window into just how deep into Greater Israel, anti-Palestinian, fact-challenged crazy-land some people in this Congress and on this Committee are — watch it for yourself. One note: at around 1:25:30 in the hearing, Rep. Fine (R-FL) launches into a speech alleging the existence of apartheid in the West Bank, based on the fact that when he was traveling there he encountered a sign reading “Jews May Not Enter.” Fine goes on to suggest that these signs represent a Palestinian Authority policy of preventing Jews from accessing certain areas. Of course, Fine knows – or should know, since he presents himself as an expert on all things related to Israel and the West Bank, as does (or should, Mort Klein, who does not correct Fine’s mistake) – that this sign (and the many others like it, placed at the entrance to Palestinian cities and villages across the West Bank), was produced and placed there BY THE GOVERNMENT OF ISRAEL, reflecting an ISRAELI policy that makes it illegal for Israeli citizens to enter Area A of the West Bank [note that Fine is also incorrect in alleging the signs say anything about “Jews.” The signs refer in Hebrew to “Israelis” and in Arabic and English to “citizens of Israel”; Jews who are not citizens of Israel can and do travel into these areas; Israeli citizens who choose to enter these areas are breaking Israeli law, which in the case of settlers goes unpunished, and in the case of Israelis human rights activists, can be one of the many pretexts for Israeli authorities use to detain and/or ban them from the areas]. If Fine has an issue with these signs, it should be with the government of Israel, not with Palestinians. Some receipts: here, here, here.”

Adalah: Israel Has Passed 30 New Apartheid Laws Since October 7th

Adalah published a new report entitled, “Post-7 October: A New Wave of Anti-Palestinian Israeli Laws.” The report analyzes a wave of Israeli laws passed after October 7, 2023 that, collectively and by design, entrench segregation and discrimination against Palestinians living under Israeli control (in Israel, East Jerusalem and the West Bank).

The report details thirty laws that have been enacted, including:

laws that restrict the freedom of movement, thought, expression, and protest;
Laws that infringe on family reunification and change residency and citizenship access;
Laws that undermine due process and prisoners’ rights; and more.

Adalah writes in conclusion:

“A legal system organized along ethnic lines that denies fundamental rights to a racial group constitutes a crime under the 1973 Apartheid Convention. The laws analyzed in this report demonstrate the entrenchment of a dual legal regime which privileges Jewish Israelis by design, while systematically violating the rights of Palestinians. However, unlike regimes of segregation and racial or ethnic supremacy known throughout history, such as apartheid in South Africa, Jim Crow in the United States, or the Protestant Ascendancy regime in Ireland from the 17th to the early 19th century, where identity-based criteria (ethnic, racial, religious, etc.) were explicitly enshrined in law, most of the legislation examined in this report uses neutral language that, in practice, operates as proxies for ethno-national identity, systematically targeting Palestinians…

Taken together, the body of laws passed over the past two years indicate that the Israeli legislature is acting without restraint to impose far-reaching restrictions on Palestinians while further entrenching infringements of their rights. In doing so, the Knesset has and continues to ingrain recognition of Jewish citizens as the sole collective entitled to the full spectrum of individual and collective rights, and to further codify in Israeli law a regime of Jewish ethno-national supremacy, as explicitly and constitutionally enshrined in the 2018 Jewish Nation-State Law.”

Israel Human Rights Groups Issue “State of the Occupation” Report

In it’s third report, a coalition of twelve Israeli human rights organizations have published a sweeping and comprehensive report on human rights violations resulting from Israel’s 58-year occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank as well as its current war on Gaza.

The authors urge:

“Public discourse surrounding the injustices of the occupation and the grave crimes associated with it is at best absent, and often violent and inflammatory. Crimes are rarely investigated by military or civilian law enforcement. In the absence of a resolute systemic response, there is little to prevent these wrongs from escalating, as evidenced by the continued destruction of infrastructure and buildings in Gaza even during the ceasefire, and the rampant violence in the West Bank.

The information presented in this report was rigorously gathered, verified, and cross-checked through sustained efforts. It is difficult to read and absorb. Still, we hope you will engage with it and join us in calling for action and for redressing the injustices it exposes.”

Bonus Reads

More on Sebastia:
- “Israel preparing largest ever act of ‘archeological cleansing’ in West Bank” (+972 Magazine, 12/11/2025)
- “An ancient Palestinian town in the West Bank may soon no longer exist – because Israel plans on stealing it” (Mondoweiss, 12/12/2025)
“New Israeli settlement in West Bank town near Bethlehem threatens the Christian presence in Palestine” (Mondoweiss, 12/11/2025)
“Knesset to Debate New NGO Bill, Seen as Targeting Israeli Human Rights Organizations” (Haaretz, 12/11/25)
“I used to report from the West Bank. Twenty years after my last visit, I was shocked by how much worse it is today” (The Guardian, 12/11/25)

Welcome to FMEP’s Weekly Settlement & Annexation Report. To subscribe to this report, please click here.

November 21, 2025

Israel Announces Seizure of Sebastia Archaeological Site
Settlers Establish New Outpost Near Bethlehem
IDF Raids Bedouin Village in Advance of Settlement Expansion
Settlers Terrorize Palestinians After IDF Dismantles Illegal Outpost
State-Backed Settler Terrorism This Week
Human Rights Watch: Not Just Gaza – Israel Committing War Crimes in the West Bank
Bonus Reads

Israel Announces Seizure of Sebastia Archaeological Site

On November 19th the Israeli government announced it will expropriate a large amount of privately owned Palestinian land (445 acres, 1,800 dunams) surrounding and including the Sebastia archaeological site, located in the northern West Bank, in order to bring it under Israeli control and to develop the site into a major tourist attraction. The Israeli government has already allocated 30 million shekels ($9.24 million) to the development of the Sebastia site.

Emek Shaveh said in a statement:

“Under the guise of concern for heritage, the government is investing tens of millions of shekels in turning heritage sites into weapons of dispossession and annexation. The intention to expropriate private land is anything but preservation; its purpose is to establish a tourism settlement that will detach Sebastia’s heritage from the town and Judaize the area through the tourists who visit the site.”

The government’s plan will unilaterally seize land from the villages of Burqa and Sebastia, land in Area C which the Israeli government recognizes as lawfully owned by Palestinians, some of which is cultivated olive groves. The government is nonetheless carrying out the expropriation on the basis of an administrative order for antiquities. Emek Shaveh says Sebastia will be the fifth and most significant archaeological site expropriated by Israel since 1967, and Peace Now provides the receipts.

Along with dispossessing Palestinian landowners, Israel’s plans for the area will devastate the Palestinian tourism industry built around the site, which under Israeli control will be developed not for the benefit of Palestinians but for the Israeli tourism industry and settlers. Tellingly, the Israeli government has already begun renovating a nearby railway station – the Masoudia station – into a tourist site (a settlement) and planning a new access road to the site that bypasses the Palestinian village of Sebastia.

Emek Shaveh explains:

“The intention is clear – to sever the ancient site of Sebastia from the Palestinian historic town of Sebastia, connect the site to Road 60 and turn the site into a settler-led tourist attraction (similar to the City of David in Silwan, East Jerusalem). This development follows government decision 491 (May 2023), which allocates 32 million NIS to develop what Israeli authorities call the “Shomron (Samaria) National Park” in a plan that entails massive development of the site, including a visitors’ centre, a parking lot, and a fence which will separate the acropolis from the rest of the town.”

Peace Now explains:

“The Sebastia case is especially unusual because the expropriation targets an archaeological site that has long served as an economic, cultural, and tourism anchor for residents of Sebastia and the surrounding area, and that has been open to the public. Around the site are souvenir shops and restaurants, and in Sebastia itself, many residents earn their living from guiding visitors and renting rooms to tourists. The Sebastia site lies inside the village, among residents’ homes. The expropriation concerns the western part of the site, an area with fewer homes and surrounded by olive groves.” And on the railway station settlement site, Peace Now says: “Turning the Masoudia train station into a tourist site is, in fact, the establishment of a new settlement. This is not a heritage site—it’s part of a deliberate government plan to plant settlements deep inside a densely populated Palestinian area between Nablus and Jenin. These projects will increase the security burden, deepen the occupation, and advance annexation. The only ‘heritage’ being promoted here is the legacy of lawlessness and brute force championed by the Gush Emunim settler movement, which, then as now, acted illegally, clashed with security forces, and imposed facts on the ground for which the State of Israel continues to pay a heavy price to this day.”

Peace Now said in a statement:

“The Israeli government’s drive for dispossession and annexation knows no limits, and it is prepared to violate international law openly to pursue it. This is part of a broader effort to take control and expand settlements in areas northwest of Nablus that Israel evacuated during the disengagement. Sebastia is a heritage site located inside a Palestinian village, part of its history and part of a future Palestinian state. Under the Oslo Accords, signed by Israel, it should have been transferred to Palestinian administration long ago. Israeli greed harms not only the landowners, but also the prospect of a peaceful solution that upholds the rights and heritage of both peoples.”

Settlers Establish New Outpost Near Bethlehem

The chairman of the local Etzion settler council, Yaron Rosenthal, proudly and publicly announced the establishment of a new outpost, called “Shdema”, on a hilltop near the Palestinian town of Beit Sahour east of Bethlehem. This new outpost is not a wild and haphazard effort by fringe radical settlers to build an outpost, but the organized and intentional work of settler leadership to establish a permanent new settlement. Tractors appeared overnight to clear and level the land, and several caravans were precipitously moved onto the site with three settler families reported to have moved in.

In his announcement, Rosenthal made it clear that the outposts came in response to the IDF’s evacuation of another outpost in Gush Etzion. The outpost was also built days after a Palestinian attack targeting Israelis at the nearby Gush Etzion junction, where one person was killed and three were injured by masked, knife-wielding assailants.

Peace Now has filed a complaint demanding an investigation into the Gush Etzion Regional Council’s involvement in the illegal construction of the outpost, and said in a statement:

“The new outpost is intended to choke the Palestinian town of Beit Sahour and block its development. There is no limit to the settlers’ audacity in establishing outposts and creating facts on the ground, while using public funds and denying Israel the chance for a future of peace and two states.”

Settlers have spent almost two decades trying to build a settlement at this exact site, an area called Ush Ghurab. The site was an Israeli military base but was vacated in the early 2000s. The U.S. then initiated a plan to fund and build a children’s hospital (with services aimed at Palestinians), but the plan was ultimately scuttled under settler pressure and the Israeli government build a new military post at the site.

IDF Raids Bedouin Village in Advance of Settlement Expansion

Ir Amim reports the Israeli police and soldiers raided the bedouin village of Kasarat living near the site of the future E-1 settlement. A group of 150 soldiers reportedly invaded the village in the early morning hours, forcing residents out of their homes while they proceeded to ransack each residence and beat several men. Residents reported extensive damage and stolen cash after the soldiers left.

Israeli Police have said the raid was aimed at finding weapons, though there were no arrests or seizures. Attorney Roni Pelli, who works for Yesh Din, told The Times of Israel that holding an entire village hostage is a form of collective punishment, and illegal under international law.

Ir Amim warns:

“The scale and violent nature of this unprovoked military action against an entire village is unprecedented in this area and could further indicate Israel’s intent to uproot the Palestinian communities living on lands marked within the E1 corridor….

Ir Amim has long stressed the danger of expulsion for vulnerable Palestinian communities in and around E1, whose land is directly threatened by the plan’s reemergence and approval. We have likewise warned that expulsions could be the first step taken by Israeli authorities following the plan’s approval. In addition to the severe geopolitical ramifications of the E1 settlement plans for the prospects of a viable Palestinian state, the most immediate repercussions are already unfolding on the ground for Palestinian communities.

This military action comes as the District Court reviews several petitions filed against the approval of the E1 settlement plans, including a petition initiated by Ir Amim together with partner organizations, Bimkom and Peace Now. It also follows the court’s recent rejection of a request for an injunction. The raid on the Kasarat community suggests that the authorities intend to continue pushing forward with the E1 plans at full speed, despite the petitions still under review.”

Settlers Terrorize Palestinians After IDF Dismantles Illegal Outpost

On November 17th, Israeli security forces dismantled the violent illegal outpost of Zur Misgavi (aka Givat Hatilim), located near Hebron. Attempting to thwart the evacuation, Israeli settlers barricaded themselves in the outpost and proceeded to throw rocks and metal rods, and burn vehicles and tires as the military and police attempted to remove them. Six settlers were arrested. Smotrich explained his support for the outpost demolition by saying he plans to build thousands of new settlement units on the same plot of land and the outpost was in his way.

The demolition of the outpost was apparently carried out at the request of the Gush Etzion Regional Council which raised concern about anarchy in the area and complained about the unauthorized construction.

The outpost evacuation enraged parts of the settler movement and in retaliation, settlers proceeded to terrorize nearby Palestinians communities, conducting violent raids on two towns.

First, settlers attack Umm al-Butm (located at the foot of the Zur Misgavi outpost), setting buildings and vehicles on fire and assaulting at least one women.

Second, settlers attacked Jab’a, setting fire to three homes, three vehicles, and a caravan. Video from the scene is terrifying. Settlers graffitied several buildings, writing “A Jew doesn’t evict a Jew.”

Following the fiery attack on Jab’a, the IDF announced a manhunt to find the attacks, and several high ranking Israeli officials made public statements condemning settler violence.

State-Backed Settler Terrorism This Week

Over the course of the last two weeks more and more criticism has fallen at the feet of the Israeli government, which has long sought to characterize settler violence as a small problem of a few bad apples, absolving the state of its systematic involvement, financing, and encouragement of settler violence. Following the settler attacks on Jab’a and Umm al-Batun and under mounting international pressure to address the problem, Prime Minister Netanyahu made public comments promising “forceful action” against settler violence, but continuing to assert the problem is one of the minority.

Bibi later convened his cabinet and top security officials to discuss how to address settler violence, reportedly to include getting violent settlers to attend educational programs (i.e. no real legal consequences or accountability). Later, Israeli security officials reportedly drafted a new plan to reportedly entails several recommendations including to: to create a special investigative team to handle severe cases; increase military and police deployment in the West Bank; establish 14 security hubs in violent hotspots; expand surveillance networks with new cameras; and increase punishment of offenders to include property seizures, fines and gun license revocations.

In an editorial, the Jerusalem Post Editorial Board wrote that the Israeli government is complicit in the violence, writing: ”The public silence of Netanyahu and Katz and the encouragement of Ben-Gvir point to the only plausible conclusion that the government is part of the problem, not the solution.”

While the Israeli government formulates a response, settler terrorism in the West Bank continues on a daily basis – and no arrests have been reported. Key attacks this week include:

Attacks on Jab’a and Umm al-Bum, as detailed above.
Huwara – On November 20th, settlers conducted a pogrom on the village of Huwara. First throwing stones and molotov cocktails, settlers further escalated to setting vehicles, homes and a scrapyard on fire, resulting in a massive blaze. IDF are reported to have arrested at least one Palestinian journalist who was documenting the attack, but no arrests of Israeli settlers have been reported.
Al-Mirkez – On November 21st settlers used clubs to violently assault Palestinians in the village of al-Mirkez, located in the Masafer Yatta area of the South Hebron Hills.
Luban a-Sharqiya – Settlers torched several buildings.
Abu Falah – Settlers burned an agricultural building and set a home on fire while residents were still inside.
Deir Sharif – Settlers vandalized a plant nursery, destroyed a bathroom fixture showroom, and burned over a dozen cars.
Beit Furik – Settlers raided Beit Furik.
Susya – Settlers attacked an elderly Palestinian man, knocking him off his donkey and requiring hospitalization.

Human Rights Watch: Not Just Gaza – Israel Committing War Crimes in the West Bank

Human Rights Watched published a new report entitled, “‘All My Dreams Have Been Erased’: Israel’s Forced Displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank.” An excerpt reads:

“This report examines the Israeli government’s conduct of Operation Iron Wall from its start in January 2025 through July 2025, and the resulting mass displacement of Palestinians from three refugee camps in the northern West Bank. Human Rights Watch found that Israeli forces committed forcible displacement in violation of the law of occupation under international humanitarian law that amount to war crimes. Human Rights Watch also found that Israeli forces committed the forcible transfer of population and other inhumane acts as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population, which are crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Israel’s actions also violated international human rights law, which remains in effect in the West Bank…

When forced displacement is committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack on a civilian population, thus reflecting state or organizational policy, it can constitute a crime against humanity. These actions may also be considered “ethnic cleansing,” a non-legal term used to describe a policy to remove an ethnic or religious group from particular areas “by violent and terror-inspiring means.”…

This forced displacement reflects the broader pattern of ongoing rights violations by Israeli authorities against the Palestinian population, including the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution.”

Read the full report here.

Bonus Reads

“IDF Blocks Activists From Aiding Palestinian Olive Harvest, Declares West Bank Village Closed Military Zone” (Haaretz, 11/14/25)
“Averting West Bank collapse: How to revive Palestinian politics” (ECFR, November 2025)
“Editorial | In the West Bank, the IDF Only Arrests Those Who Come to Protect Palestinians” (Haaretz, 11/16/25)
“‘Palestinian Farmers Are Fighting to Survive’ Drought and Settler Violence Make 2025 West Bank Olive Harvest Worst in Living Memory” (Haaretz, 11/14/25)

Welcome to FMEP’s Weekly Settlement & Annexation Report. To subscribe to this report, please click here.

November 13, 2025

Mass Displacement & Forcible Transfer in Silwan: Three Families Dispossessed, New Eviction Order Delivered
Boundaries set for 13 West Bank settlements, Including Sa-Nur in Northern West Bank
Israel Delivers Eviction Notices in Qalandiya in Order to Build New Waste Treatment Plant
Israel Grants Tax Benefit to Settlements in “Threatened Areas”
Settler Terrorism This Week
Bonus Reads

Mass Displacement & Forcible Transfer in Silwan: Three Families Forcibly Dispossessed, New Eviction Order Delivered

In the early morning of November 9th, a large contingent of Israeli police forcibly displaced three Palestinian households (14 people from the Odeh and Shweiki families) from their longtime apartment building in the Batan Al-Hawa section of Silwan, paving the way for settlers to immediately enter and take over the properties under police escort. In addition, Israel police also raided the Rajabi family home and delivered a court order rejecting the families’ latest petition and ordered their eviction in 21 days. Peace Now reports the dispossession of the Odeh and Shweiki families is an important, precedent setting event because many other eviction cases were awaiting the outcome and will likely clear the way for many more evictions.

In the past 15 months, at the behest of settlers and the cooperation of the courts, Israel has evicted 9 Palestinian households in Silwan under a systematically unequal legal framework that affords Jews, but not Palestinians, the ability to “reclaim” properties that were abandoned before 1948. A total of 19 Palestinian families have been evicted at the behest of the Ateret Cohanim settler organization, which has waged a widespread campaign to dispossess and replace Palestinians in Batan al-Hawa. Ir Amim writes:

“Although couched in the language of legality, these measures are in fact anchored in a discriminatory legal regime that deprives Palestinians of equal rights and any genuine path to justice. Such actions amount to a form of forcible transfer and a grave violation of international law. With today’s evictions, the threat facing the community of Batan al-Hawa has grown ever more acute. Without urgent intervention, many more stand to lose their homes in the coming weeks and months ahead.”

Further – Ir Amim reports the eviction of the Shweiki and Odeh families happened days before the eviction order was set to take effect, which according to the watchdog “rais[es] serious questions concerning its legal pretext and procedural legitimacy. While the legal basis for carrying out the eviction early remains unclear, it appears to have been intended to mislead and catch residents off guard.”

Peace Now said in a statement:

“This is an injustice and a crime against a vulnerable population living under occupation in East Jerusalem. The dispossession of Palestinians from their homes in Silwan, enabled by the application of the Jewish ‘right of return,’ represents an indelible stain on the State of Israel. The Israeli judicial system has failed to protect the fundamental rights of Palestinians to their homes, effectively endorsing the racist and messianic policies of the current Israeli government. A responsible government would halt the forced expulsions of this community. Tragically, our government demonstrates anything but responsibility in any regard.”

An article covering the totality of struggle over Batan al-Hawa published in +972 Magazine writes:

“Each layer of Israel’s bureaucracy approved the evictions before they were sanctioned by the Supreme Court — often seen as a final check against Israel’s full-blown descent into authoritarianism. ‘The settlers have a presence in every ministry: education, interior, the municipality, they’re all working together from inside the system,’ explained Zuheir Rajabi, who heads the Batan Al-Hawa neighborhood committee and faces eviction orders himself. ‘These institutions serve the settlers because, in part, the settlers run them.’”

Boundaries set for 13 West Bank settlements, Including Sa-Nur in Northern West Bank

Israeli occupation authorities have formally approved boundaries for 13 new settlements across the West Bank Area C, including the re-establishment of the Sa-Nur settlement in the northern West Bank which the Israeli government dismantled in 2005. This announcement paves the way for outposts to be legally transformed into fully authorized settlements and expanded.

The new settlements are:

Sa-Nur: The establishment of a boundary for the Sa-Nur settlement is the culmination of years of agitation by settlers and eager support from Israeli officials to re-establish settlements which the government dismantled in 2005.
Ahiya: The Ahiya outpost received initial government approval in March 2024, when it was included in the expanded borders of the nearby Shilo settlement in the central West Bank. Ahiya is located in an string of settlements that are designed to form an uninterrupted corridor of Israeli control connecting sovereign Israel to the Ariel settlement, through the isolated Shiloh Valley settlements, all the way to the Jordan Valley. In so doing, it will completely bisect the northern part of the West Bank.
Haresha: Located east of Ramallah and surrounded by privately owned Palestinian land, the Israeli government has successfully used the Haresha outpost as a test case for new legal tools to justify the expropriation of privately owned Palestinian land in order to retroactively legalize outposts.
Adei Ad: Located in the Shiloh Valley, the Israeli government announced its plan to retroactively legalize the Adei Ad outpost in August 2018 by expanding the borders of the nearby Amichai settlement (a settlement which was established as a reward to settler law-breakers who evacuated from the unauthorized Amona outpost). The Adei Ad outpost has been a source of violent settlers launching attacks on nearby Palestinian communities, including Turmus Ayya.
Shvut Rachel: Located in the Shiloh Valley, the Israeli government expanded the boarders of the nearby Shilo settlement in order to legalize the Shvut Rachel outpost.
Yair’s Farm: located southwest of Nablus.
Tel Menashe: located located on the tip of the northern West Bank, inside the “seam zone” between the 1967 Green Line and the Israel separation barrier.
Maoz Tzvi: located in the northern West Bank.
Migron: located south east of Ramallah.
Nofei Prat: located east of Jerusalem.
Givonit
Ir Hatamarim: located near Jericho.
Gadi: located in the Jordan Valley.

Celebrating the news, Smotrich said:

“The decision on the new boundaries provides stability, enables planning and development, and establishes the settlement blocs in the heart of the country. This is Zionism at its best, this is national responsibility, and this is the historical justice of the generation of children who are returning to build their country.”

Israel Delivers Eviction Notices in Qalandiya in Order to Build New Waste Treatment Plant

Peace Now reports the Israel Land Authority has ordered the eviction of dozens of Palestinians and demolition of two apartment buildings surrounded by cultivated agricultural land belonging to residents in the village of Qalandiya. The dispossession of these families is required by Israel in order to build a waste incineration facility in the area, a facility which would serve . Qalandiya is located just north of Jerusalem, technically within Israel’s expanded borders of Jerusalem but partially on the West Bank side of the Separation Barrier. When the Barrier was constructed it divided the town of Qalandiya and a gate was installed to allow Palestinians to access agricultural land that was on the Israeli side, a gate that was opened by Israeli officials only twice per year.

Earlier this year, Bezalel Smotrich signed a notice re-establishing two expired expropriation orders from 1970 and 1982 that covered the area. The government then approved a plan initiated by an Israeli company to build the waste treatment facility on the land and re-route the Separation Barrier, confiscating even more land, so that the new facility would be on the Israeli side.

Peace Now said in a statement:

“The government’s appetite for annexation and dispossession knows no bounds. As if there were no other place in the Jerusalem area to build a waste facility besides the few remaining dunams left to Qalandiya’s residents after decades of expropriations and fences. This would constitute a blatant violation of international law and basic moral principles to expel residents living under occupation for the sake of a plant serving the occupying power.”

The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem published a 2017 report on Israel’s exploitation of West Bank land to serve as Israel’s garbage dump, surveying several of the 15 Israeli waste treatment facilities (at the time) in the occupied West Bank. The report says:

“The findings presented in this report reveal another facet of the Israeli policy of using Palestinian space and Palestinian residents for the state’s own benefit. As an integral part of its waste management apparatus, Israel – abusing its status as an occupying power – transfers to the West Bank large amounts of waste (including hazardous waste) generated inside its territory. This report presented but a few examples of this practice…Israel has created sacrifice zones beyond its sovereign borders, in the West Bank. At least fifteen waste treatment facilities have been built there to process waste (including hazardous waste) most of which was generated in Israel. Relying on the immense power disparity between the occupying power and the occupied population, Israel has set up a bureaucratic mechanism that allows it to transfer a broad range of industrial, medical and urban by-products from its own territory to the West Bank.”

Israel Grants Tax Benefit to Settlements in “Threatened Areas”

The Israeli Knesset has advanced a bill through its preliminary hearing that, if passed into law, would grant certain settlements a 25% increase in how tax benefits are scored, allowing settlers living in areas classified as “under security threat” a massive tax break.

Settler Terrorism This Week

Settler terrorism continues to reach alarming new heights, as the rate and severity of settler attacks over the past week shows. Not only are settlers targeting the olive harvest and particularly vulnerable communities, like Umm al-Khair, but settlers this week organized a large-scale attack targeted at a significant Palestinian industrial zone. With videos of each attack published to social media on a near daily basis, parts of international media has begun to pay attention to the crisis and lawlessness unfolding in the West Bank. Israeli officials have subsequently made several statements promising to crack down on settler violence, most trying to insist that settler violence is a result of a small number of fringe settlers.

Summing up reality, Israeli news reporter Barak Ravid said plainly:

“In one word: conspiracy. As long as the IDF continues to treat it as a phenomenon of ‘troubled boys,’ Jewish terror attacks in the West Bank will only intensify. This is a terrorist organization. It has political and religious leadership, it has funding (part of it from the state), it has infrastructure and bases, and it has commanders and activists.”

Haaretz Editorial Board writes:

“Such incidents are made possible because the Israel Defense Forces stand by and do nothing to crack down on the violence and protect those under attack. Among the rioters are soldiers in uniform, members of the settlements’ emergency security squads, who exploit the uniforms and weapons given to them for self-defense to attack Palestinians, who only want to harvest their crops.”

With a pointed amount of heat focused on the IDF’s response (and Israeli government data showing the increase in settler attacks in 2025) the IDF has accused the Israeli Police and Shin Bet of failing to act due to pressure from government ministers and lawmakers. The IDF Chief then said he would work towards cracking down on settler violence. Notably, on November 9th the IDF arrested Ariel Dahari for beating an elderly woman (horrifyingly caught on video) during a settler attack on Turmus Ayya two weeks ago. Dahari has a history of violence in the West Bank, was arrested in 2019.

A few of the highest profile settler terror attacks over the last week include:

1. Beit Lid Industrial Zone and Dayr Sharaf: On November 11th a large gang of masked settlers launched a coordinated attack on a Palestinian industrial zone in Beit Lid, seeming to signal an alarming new phase of settler terrorism targeting the infrastructure of Palestinian society in the West Bank. Settlers set fire to and destroyed a factory owned by the Al Juneidi plant, a dairy factory that a major employer and supplier across the West Bank. The attack also destroyed a plastics factory, a large warehouse, the homes of five families, and 10 vehicles (including a large shipping truck). Settlers beat and threw stones at Palestinians on the scene, injuring four.The IDF was called to the scene and, while attempting to disperse the settlers, were also attacked. Out of the approximately 100 attackers, only four settlers were arrested – three of which were quickly released. Later that day, horrifying video shows chaos in the bedouin community of Dary Sharaf, located close to the Beit Lid industrial zone, after settlers set several tent homes on fire.The pogrom on Beit Lid sparked many international condemnations and even the denunciations of a few Israeli officials.
2. Beita: Dozens of settlers launched an incredibly violent attack on Palestinians and journalists on October 8th. The attack seriously injured 11 people including Oded Yedaya, the principal of a nearby art school, who had his jaw and cheekbone broken by settlers wielding clubs and throwing stones. Two employees for Reuters were also injured. Haaretz reports that prior to the attack settlers had pitched a tent in the olive groves belonging to Beita residents.
3. Umm Al-Khair: On November 11th, settlers attempted to enter olive groves belonging to the residents of Umm Al-Khair, a village in the South Hebron Hills that is facing mass displacement efforts by the Israeli state and by settlers. Palestinians attempted to stop the settlers from entering the groves, and when a Palestinian resident called the Israeli police to report the illegal incursion, Israeli police arrived only to arrest the Palestinian man who called in to report the issue, and guard the settlers as they entered the grove and grazed their sheep. Later, several activists were also arrested.
4. Deir Istiya: On November 12th, settlers attacked and set fire to a mosque in the town of Deir Istiya.

Bonus Reads

“Palestinian Teenager Dies in West Bank After Month-long Coma From IDF Tear Gas Inhalation” (Haaretz, 11/12/25)
“Dozens of Dems Urge Netanyahu Not to Raze West Bank Homes, Community Center” (Haaretz, 11/7/25)
“There Is No Cease-Fire in the West Bank” (New York Times, 11/11/25)
“Hundreds of Palestinians in Three Villages Haven’t Received a Permit to Stay in Their Homes” (Haaretz, 11/10/2025)
“This Palestinian Photojournalist Has Long Documented Israeli Violence. This Time, It Nearly Killed Him” (Haaretz, 11/8/25)
“IDF holds wide-scale drill in West Bank” (The Times of Israel, 11/10/2025)

Welcome to FMEP’s Weekly Settlement & Annexation Report. To subscribe to this report, please click here.

November 7, 2025

Tenders Issued for New Neighborhood in Geva Benaymin Settlement
Israel Advances Plans for 1,985 New Settlement Units
Israel Delivers Demolition Notices to Entire Village of Umm Al Kheir in South Hebron Hills
Israel Allocates $12 Million to Deepen Control Over West Bank Archaeology Sites
Settler Violence & The Olive Harvest
Bonus Reads

Tenders Issued for New Neighborhood in Geva Benaymin Settlement

Peace Now reports that on November 4th the Israeli Housing Ministry published tenders for the construction of 342 new settlement units – establishing a new neighborhood in the Geva Benyamin (aka Adam) settlement. The new construction will expand the settlement northward towards the Jaba’ bedouin community, and connect the settlement to an outpost established by settlers in February 2025. Since the outpost was established, settlers have routinely and violently attacked the Jaba’ community.

Peace Now warned:

“Since the beginning of 2025, tenders have been published for a total of 5,667 housing units in settlements – an all-time record and about 50% more than the previous peak year, 2018, when tenders were published for 3,808 units. If the tenders published this year are built, these homes would add roughly 25,000 settlers to the West Bank.”

Israel Advances Plans for 1,985 New Settlement Units

Peace Now reports that on November 5th, the High Planning Council advanced plans for the construction of 1,985 new settlement units across the West Bank.

Since the beginning of 2025, including the plans slated for approval this week, Israel has advanced a total of 28,195 settlement units — setting a record for annual numbers. See Peace Now’s records here.

The plans that received final approval this week include:

133 new units in the Kfar Tapuach settlement, located south of Nablus.
80 units in the Etz Efraim settlement, located south of Qalqilya and on the Israel-annexed side of the Separation Barrier.
178 units in the Ganei Modi’in settlement, located on the Israel-annexed side of the Separation Barrier in the northern West Bank.

The plans which were deposited for public review this week include:

720 units in the Avnei Hefetz settlement, located just east of Tulkarem;
568 units in the Einav settlement, located east of Tulkarem and east of the Avnei Hefetz settlement.
48 units in the Etz Efraim settlement (in addition to the plans which received final approval).
258 units in the Rosh Tzurim settlement, located south of Bethlehem in the Etzion settlement bloc.

Israel Delivers Demolition Notices to Entire Village of Umm Al Kheir in South Hebron Hills

On October 28th, the Israeli Civil Administration delivered demolition notices to 13 structures (including 11 homes) in the village of Umm al-Khair in the South Hebron Hills – a village that is almost entirely surrounded by Israeli settlements and violent outposts. The residents were given four days to appeal the demolition notices, which were issued due to lack of Israeli-issued building permits (the buildings are over a decade old).

These notices come only a few weeks after the Jerusalem District Court attempted to temporarily stop settlers from establishing another new outpost literally next to homes in the Umm Al-Khair.

For an in-depth background of Umm al-Khair is its struggle to stay on its land despite settler and state violence, see Peace Now’s reporting and 972 Magazine’s repository of stories on the village – including several written by Awdah Hathaleen, a native of Umm Al-Khair who was murdered by an internationally sanctioned settler earlier this year (a settler who is facing no legal repercussions for the murder).

Israel Allocates $12 Million to Deepen Control Over West Bank Archaeology Sites

Emek Shaveh reports that on October 26th the Israeli government allocated an additional $12million (NIS 33.6 million)to renovate and strengthen Israeli control over archaeological sites in the West Bank. The government had previously allocated $33 million (NIS 120 million) in 2023 to the same project as well as a special budget of NIS 32 million for the Sebastia site alone.

Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said: ““will not wait for the formal imposition of sovereignty over the West Bank.” As a reminder, in July 2024 the Israeli government gave the Civil Administrative sweeping powers over archaeological sites in Area B of the West Bank.

Emek Shaveh said in a statement:

“The government decision to redirect funds from other offices to sites in the West Bank reflects the ministers’ true priorities. At a time when health, welfare, and education systems have been severely impacted by two years of war and soaring defence spending, the government is diverting critical resources to advance the settlers’ long-standing agenda: expanding control over territory through archaeology.

By declaring more areas as archaeological sites “off limits” to Palestinians and developing them as tourist attractions to draw mainstream Israeli visitors into the settlements, the government is instrumentalising antiquities both as a bureaucratic tool for displacement and annexation, and as a means of shaping a biblical-nationalist narrative that excludes other histories and denies Palestinian connection to the land.”

Settler Violence & The Olive Harvest

Settlers have continued to terrorize Palestinians harvesting olives during the 2025 harvest season, with virtually no recourse or accountability. Over the course of October, OCHA recorded the highest monthly number of Israeli settler attacks since OCHA began documenting such incidents in 2006, documented 260 attacks – an average of 8 per day. In addition Palestinians continue to suffer from increasingly restrictive Israeli policies that limit access to agricultural land located near settlements and/or the Separation Barrier. Adding to the heightened settler violence, the Israeli government has undertaken a deportation campaign against international solidarity activists who, for years, have accompanied Palestinians during harvest season as a protective presence.

Since October 21st, there have been at least 104 attacks, 20 of which were directly related to the olive harvest, including the following incidents of note over the past two weeks:

Mikhmas: On October 20th, settlers from a newly established outpost attacked a group of Palestinians and solidarity activists in the bedouin villages of Mikhmas and al-Ara’ara, located north of Jerusalem. The settlers threw stones at the Palestinians and set a house and olive trees on fire. Then, on October 23rd settlers cut the water pipelines which serviced Mikhmas. On October 25th, settlers violently attacked Mikhmas, burning six structures and injuring Palestinians and solidarity activists. Many residents of Mikhmas have left the village under the coercive displacement policies of the state and the escalating violence of the settlers – which goes unpunished. OCHA has documented
Al-Mughayyir: On October 24th dozens attacked al-Mughayyir during the night, setting cars on fire. This is the 43rd time this year that settlers have attacked Al-Mughayyir, a town that is surrounded by seven outposts.
Samu, South Hebron Hills: Settlers were filmed ransacking a farm and torturing livestock – including baby lamb – in a small village in the South Hebron. Six lambs were killed and four were severely injured.
Beit Ummar: Wafa News reports that on October 29th settlers cut down approximately 50 olive trees and stole construction equipment. Israeli settlers and soldiers have carried out more than 250 attacks on Palestinian olive farmers since the harvest began earlier this month, according to the Ramallah-based Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission
Qarawat Bani Hassan: On November 4th, settlers attacked Palestinians harvesting olives alongside a large group of volunteers (including American volunteers). As filmed by the harvesters, settlers flew a drone directly into the crowd of activists injuring one, and then proceeded to shoot live ammunition into the air, threatening to shoot the volunteers while they attempted to retrieve the drone. Haaretz reports the settlers were part of the security unit of the nearby Revava settlement.

The continued violence prompted the following statement by Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:

“Reports of attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians and their property across the West Bank continue. Many are related to Palestinians’ attempts to harvest their olive crops. Palestinians have been killed and injured. Their homes and property damaged. Their livestock attacked. More trees have been damaged and more communities affected this year than in the previous six years. The failure to prevent or punish such attacks is inconsistent with international law. Palestinians must be protected. Impunity cannot prevail. Perpetrators must be held accountable.”

Bonus Reads

“The Business of Apartheid: What Companies and Investors Should Know” (AFSC, 10/30/25)
“How one road and an Israeli settlement could end dreams for this Palestinian city” (Los Angeles Times, 10/24/25)
“Israel’s Education Commissar Wants to Force Settler Indoctrination in Schools” (Haaretz, 10/29/25)
“Smotrich proposes weekly protest in ‘Sovereignty Square’ to push for Judea and Samaria annexation” (World Israel News, 10/26/25)

Welcome to FMEP’s Weekly Settlement & Annexation Report. To subscribe to this report, please click here.

October 24, 2025

Knesset Votes to Advance Two West Bank Annexation Bill
Israel Advances 248 New Settlement Units
Settlers Take Over Cave in South Hebron Hills & Are Building New Outpost
Settler Terrorism Targets the Olive Harvest
Bonus Reads

Knesset Votes to Advance Two West Bank Annexation Bill

Two annexation bills got a preliminary nod from the Israeli Knesset this week.

The first, a bill calling for annexation of “settlement spaces”, passed its preliminary reading with the Knesset voting to advance the bill with a bare majority of 25-24. The bill will now proceed through three further rounds of voting. It is not totally clear how expansive the bill is as it calls to annex “settlement spaces in Judea and Samaria” but does not map out what that means (other than the fact it does not include Palestinians). Area C of the West Bank – where the majority of Israeli settlements are – is some 60% of the West Bank, but outside of Area C there is expansive amounts of Israeli infrastructure (roads, services, etc) serving the settlements in addition to settlement outposts.

Notably, Likud Minister Yuli Edelstein broke ranks with his Party to vote in favor of the bill despite opposition from Likud’s head of party, Prime Minister Netanyahu. Other members of the Likud party abstained from voting. Edelstein, who was Speaker of the Knesset from 2013-2020, was later removed from his role on the powerful Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee as a result of his vote and Prime Minister Netanyahu issued a statement calling Edelstein “disgruntled”. The Likud Party released a statement explaining why it opposed the bill, making it clear it supports annexation but wants to achieve it differently. The statement read:

“Real sovereignty will not be achieved through a showpiece law for the record, but through proper work on the ground and creating the political conditions for recognition of our sovereignty.”

A second bill calling for annexation of the Maale Adumim settlement also passed the preliminary reading vote with a large majority vote of 32-9.

The Knesset’s actions elicited a strong reaction from the Trump Administration, which has been engaged in near constant shuttle diplomacy to Israel over the past week in the hopes of preventing Israel from completely walking away from the Gaza ceasefire deal. The Knesset held its vote on the annexation bills while U.S. Vice President JD Vance was in Israel, leading Vance to tell reporters he was “insulted” by the decision to hold the vote, saying the “policy of the Trump administration is that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel.” On his way to Israel, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also confirmed the U.S. does not support Israel’s annexation of West Bank land “right now.” President Trump made his position on annexation clear to Time Magazine in a recent interview which was published this week, saying:

“It won’t happen. It won’t happen. It won’t happen because I gave my word to the Arab countries. And you can’t do that now. We’ve had great Arab support. It won’t happen because I gave my word to the Arab countries. It will not happen. Israel would lose all of its support from the United States if that happened.””

In addition to the White House’s opposition, 46 of 47 Democratic senators signed a letter opposing Israeli annexation of the West Bank, settlement expansion, and any measures that would block Palestinian statehood. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman was the only Democrat who did not sign the letter.

Qatar also issued a statement condemning the vote.

Israel Advances 248 New Settlement Units

Peace Now reports the Israeli High Planning Council (a body within the Israeli Defense Ministry which currently oversees construction planning in Areas C of the West Bank) met on October 22nd to consider the following plans to expand settlements:

One plan for 102 new settlement units in the Rotem settlement, located in the northern Jordan Valley;
One plan for 4 new settlement units in the Shiloh settlement, located in the northern West Bank in a string of Israeli settlements reaching from the Green Line to the Ariel, Eli, and Amichai settlements that bisect the northern West Bank and reach through to the Jordan Valley;
Two plans for a total of 128 new settlement units in the Eli settlement, located between Nablus and Ramallah in the northern West Bank as part of a string of Israeli settlements reaching from the Green Line to the Ariel, Eli, and Amichai settlements that bisect the northern West Bank and reach through to the Jordan Valley;;
Two plans for a total of 14 new settlement units in the Givat Zeev settlement north of Jerusalem.

Peace Now reminds:

“Since November 2024, the Higher Planning Council has been holding weekly meetings to advance housing projects in the settlements. The shift to a weekly approval process not only normalizes construction in the territories but also accelerates it. Since the beginning of 2025, including the plans slated for approval this week, the council has advanced a total of 25,129 housing units. All time record.”

Settlers Take Over Cave in South Hebron Hills & Are Building New Outpost

On October 20th a group of settlers broke into a locked cave in the village of Sarura, located in the Masafer Yatta region of the South Hebron Hills. Settlers proceeded to move furnishings, belongings, and food into the cave clearly planning to stay. The settlers sprayed graffiti and erected a Start of David, showing their domination of the area. The settlers proceeded to violently threaten Palestinians and solidarity activists who approached the surrounding land.

The owner of the cave attempted to contact Israeli authorities but it took several days for the military to issue an order closing the area to settlers, though the order was not enforced and so the settlers remained. The military issued a second order affecting a larger area, and in response, the settlers left the cave only to return hours later with construction equipment. The settlers are now expanding their new outpost.

Caves are historic and cherished parts of the Palestinian community in Masafer Yatta. In fact, Palestinians started a concerted effort to preserve, restore, and defend the caves from settler takeover via an initiative called “Youth of Sumud.” Volunteers with Youth of Sumud have restored several caves, including many caves in Sarura one of which the group used as a community center to host education events and other programs for youth and women. The Israeli army issued a demolition order against the community center in 2022.

Settler Terrorism Targets the Olive Harvest

Over the second week of the olive harvest season, settler terrorism has continued to intensify with OCHA documenting 86 settler attacks across 50 villages and towns since early October. Those attacks have injured at least 112 Palestinians and damaged more than 3,000 trees and saplings. Haaretz published a harrowing, interactive expose on the reign of terror settlers have been allowed to carry out, showing just how effective settler violence is at coercing Palestinians into leaving their lands.

Some of the settler violence over the past week included:

October 19th: Settlers attacked Turmus Ayya, violently clubbing a defenseless elderly woman while she lay on the ground and injuring many others. Settlers set Palestinian cars aflame. Settlers scared off olive harvesters and then began picking olives themselves. After the video of the attack on the elderly woman went viral, it was reported that the Israeli police issued an arrest warrant for the settler filmed attacking the woman.
October 19th: Setters attacked the village of Taybeh, closing off the villages’ main entry/exit road.
October 20th: A group of female settlers calling themselves “Hill Girls” (perhaps referencing the notoriously violent Hilltop Youth settler terror group) filmed themselves harvesting olives in Palestinian groves located west of Bethlehem.

In Gaza, where the olive harvest will be devastated for the third year – Palestinians estimate that Israel has destroyed 1 million olive trees, leaving only 100,000 trees left. The head of the Palestinian Olive Council, Fayyad Fayyad, told Drop Site:

“There is no olive season this year. We estimate that nearly one million of Gaza’s 1.1 million olive trees have been destroyed.” In 2022, Gaza produced about 50,000 tons of olives. This year, Fayyad said, the total will be well under a thousand. “The destruction is deliberate,” he said. “Israel aims to eliminate the agricultural sector, including olives. What remains are scattered trees—not groves, not production.”

One olive grower told Drop Site through tears:

“The olive season was our happiest time of year. We would gather to pick, sing, and eat together. Now that joy is gone—like everything else this war has taken.”

Another Palestinian olive farmer said:

“We could hardly water the trees. The land was next to Israeli tank positions for months….For my father, it’s not just oil—it’s identity. We want to taste oil from our own trees, not from somewhere we don’t trust. The olive tree tells us we are still alive.”

Bonus Reads

“West Bank: Impunity deepens the occupation amid increasing restrictions on aid” (Norwegian Refugee Council, 10/23/25)
“Can Israel annex the West Bank if the US says no?” (Al Jazeera, 10/24/25)

Welcome to FMEP’s Weekly Settlement & Annexation Report. To subscribe to this report, please click here.

October 17, 2025

Settlers Establish New Outpost to Encircle Umm Al Kheir, Court Pauses Move-In
Eviction Date Looms for Six Families Facing Displacement from Homes in Silwan
As The Olive Harvest Starts, Settler Terrorism Reaches New Heights
Israeli Commitment Against West Bank Annexation is Not in Final Ceasefire Deal
International Crisis Group Report: “Sovereignty in All but Name: Israel’s Quickening Annexation of the West Bank”
Bonus Reads

Settlers Establish New Outpost to Encircle Umm Al Kheir, Court Pauses Move-In

Two months ago, Israeli settlers began building yet another outpost surrounding the tiny Palestinian village of Umm al Khair in the South Hebron Hills, almost completing the encirclement of the 200 people who live in village by the Carmel settlement and its illegal outposts. The settlers cleared land and moved in caravans into the area, within spitting distance of Palestinian homes, as part of their years-long effort to expand their control of land in the area and compel/coerce the displacement of Umm al-Kheir. It was during the settlers illegal preparation of the land for this new outpost that Awdah Hathaleen, a prominent activist in the area and a protagonist in the critically acclaimed documentary No Other Land, was shot and killed by the internationally sanctioned settler Yinon Levy.

On October 12th, the Jerusalem District Court issued an order temporarily barred settlers’ from inhabiting the new outpost while the Court considers the underlying legal challenge which seeks to compel settlers to remove the caravans from the land. Settlers promptly violated the Court order, and moved more caravans into the area the very next day.

Peace Now said in a statement:

“For months, all enforcement authorities have known full well about the massive, blatantly illegal construction project taking place on the village’s land — and not only did they do nothing to stop it, they actually secured and assisted it in various ways. It is depressing and sad, though not surprising, that it takes a court order to make the army and the police do their duty. We hope the order will give the residents of Um al-Kheir, who are suffering under the settlers’ ongoing harassment, some space to breathe and live normal lives.”

Eviction Date Looms for Six Families Facing Displacement from Homes in Silwan

Six Palestinian families living in the Silwan neighborhood of East Jerusalem are facing an impending eviction date ordering them to vacate their longtime homes sometime between October 19 and November 4. If the families do not agree to their own displacement, Israeli police will remove them by force. At this point, all legal remedies have been exhausted and the Nasser, Rajabi, Shweiki, and Odeh families are set to be forcibly displaced under at the behest of Israeli settlers and the facilitation of Israeli legal courts, a system Ir Amim describes as: “proceedings [that] are underpinned by structural discrimination rooted in Jewish supremacy and a system rigged against Palestinians from the outset, which denies them equal access to justice.”

For more background on these cases, see Peace Now’s reporting.

Peace Now reports that 16 families have already been evicted from the Batan al-Hawa section of Silwan – 6 in this year alone – with settlers facilitating their displacement and taking up residence in the vacated homes. There are five additional cases affecting dozens of families that are at various stages in the Jerusalem Magistrate Court.

Peace Now said in a statement:

“This is a real emergency. If the government does not intervene, and if pressure is not brought to bear on it to act, we may witness in the coming weeks families literally thrown out into the street and settlers taking their place. This is a terrible injustice, based on discriminatory laws and on the ongoing exploitation and marginalization of East Jerusalem residents. The dispossession of Palestinians from their legally purchased homes in Silwan, under the guise of realizing a “right of return” for Jews, is an indelible stain on the State of Israel. The government can and must stop the forced expulsion of an entire community—the responsibility lies on its shoulders.”

As The Olive Harvest Starts, Settler Terrorism Reaches New Heights

The Palestinian olive harvest is now underway, and as in past years presents a massive target for violent settlers to terrorize Palestinians attempting to work their land – and in fact settler violence has rapidly increased from already high levels. Between 7 and 13 October, OCHA documented 71 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, 36 of which were directly connected to the olive harvest. As a result of the documented attacks, 99 Palestinians were injured and 1 killed. These attacks have included:

On October 8th settlers were throwing stones at Palestinian cars near the village of Deir Jarir, located near Ramallah. One Palestinian was shot and killed when settlers opened fire on a group of people who had gathered to chase off the stone-throwers. This is the 12th settler attack on Deir Jarir this year, according to OCHA.
On October 9th, settlers raided the village of Atara, near Ramallah, damaging homes and cars. Settlers established a new outpost near Atara in August 2025, and have since used the outpost as a launching point to routinely attack Atara. OCHA has counted at least 8 attacks so far.
On October 10th, settlers attacked the Palestinians harvesting olives near Beita, resulting in an injury to an AFP photographer. Settlers further seized harvesting equipment and burned 12 vehicles.
On October 12th, settlers staged a large-scale attack on the village of Burqa during which they cut down over 800 fruit trees (including olive trees, citrus trees, and grapevines).
On October 13th, settlers accompanied by Israeli forces attacked Beit Fajjar, near Bethlehem. Settlers assaulted a family of six which was attempting to harvest grapes, and later assaulted the emergency responders who came to assist the victims. Settlers used sticks, molotov cocktails and dogs to injure the family, and later burned their vehicle.
On October 13th, settlers attacked the village of Ein Yabrud, near Ramallah, and burned down a house.
On October 16th, the two different groups of Paelstinians harvesting olives near Burin were attacked by settlers from the Yitzhar settlement. The harvesters were chased off and their farming equipment was stolen.

Israeli Commitment Against West Bank Annexation is Not in Final Ceasefire Deal

According to leaked reports, an earlier version of the Trump ceasefire deal included a commitment that Israel would not annex the West Bank. Despite Trump’s press conference weeks before where he said publicly that he will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank, ultimately the commitment was not included in the final ceasefire deal.

Nonetheless, The Times of Israel reports that the Knesset is set to reconvene from its summer break and immediately take up a few bills that would affect the annexation of the West Bank. A Knesset insider told The Times of Israel:

“there is a majority in the Knesset to annex today…The reason it’s not on the agenda is because Netanyahu has made it very clear that he’s not going to support anything of the sort. You can say it’s because of Trump. You can say it’s because of his own fear of global isolation or a regional war or whoever knows what it is that he’s thinking. But if there was a secret ballot in the Knesset today, a majority would definitely annex.”

The source further told the outlet that Netanyahu will find a way to postpone voting on the annexation bills, without outright opposing them, until the next election in October 2026.

International Crisis Group Report: “Sovereignty in All but Name: Israel’s Quickening Annexation of the West Bank”

The International Crisis Group (ICG) published a new report entitled, “Sovereignty in All but Name: Israel’s Quickening Annexation of the West Bank.” The report responds to European states offering recognition to the State of Palestine, a recognition with ICG calls a “strategy that should also have teeth,” taking seriously that “annexation is not a future threat – it is already under way.” The report urges international actors to do what they can to “halt the further consolidation of Israel’s annexation and to begin the difficult work of persuading Israel to reverse course.”

The Executive summary of the report ends:

“The impediments to a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict are longstanding and immense, and a body of informed commentary argues that they are indeed insurmountable. Perhaps they are, but there is no world in which the further progress of annexation will produce a better result for the Palestinian people – or, for that matter, for Israelis. Israel may never alter its posture in the West Bank, but if outside actors play a long game and act concertedly, they will optimise their chances of changing its behaviour. Absent that, the status quo, which denies the Palestinian people not just a state, but also basic rights, will only become further entrenched.”

Bonus Reads

“Sweeping Israeli actions transform West Bank in shadow of Gaza war” (Washington Post, 9/28/25)
“Ben-Gvir’s Aide Suspected of Preventing Weapon Seizure of Settler Who Shot at Palestinians” (Haaretz, 9/29/25)
“Israel detains two Palestinian children in Hebron under claims of ‘espionage‘” (Middle East Eye, 10/1/25)
“The Trump-Netanyahu Peace Deal Promises Indefinite Occupation” (The Intercept, 10/1/25)
“Israeli bulldozers in West Bank carve up hopes for Palestinian state” (Reuters, 10/2/25)
“Bureaucratic Antics for Three West Bank Villages Show How an Israeli Annexation Began Long Ago” (Haaretz, 10/12/25)
“At This West Bank Checkpoint, ‘It’s Not Just Movement That’s Blocked. It’s Time Itself’” (Haaretz, 10/13/2025)
“Israeli settlements close in on West Bank herding community” (Al-Monitor, 10/10/25)
“Despite war’s end, Smotrich calls for renewed Jewish settlement in Gaza” (Ynet, 10/14/25)