Settlement & Annexation Report: April 4, 2025

Welcome to FMEP’s Weekly Settlement Report, this week we are issuing an covering everything you need to know about Israeli settlement activity this week.

To subscribe to this report, please click here.

East Jerusalem Settlement News

West Bank Settlement News

Gaza “Resettlement” News

Israeli Politics

New Reports

Welcome to FMEP’s Weekly Settlement Report, this week we are issuing an covering everything you need to know about Israeli settlement activity this week.

To subscribe to this report, please click here.

West Bank Settlement News 

East Jerusalem Settlement News

Gaza Annexation & “Resettlement” News

Israeli Government News

U.S. Government News

Welcome to FMEP’s Weekly Settlement Report, this week we are issuing an covering everything you need to know about Israeli settlement activity this week.

To subscribe to this report, please click here.

West Bank Settlement & Outpost News

East Jerusalem Settlement News

    • Since January, Ir Amim reports the Israeli government has advanced six new settlement plans in East Jerusalem:
      • Nof Zion enclave – a plan to significantly increase the number of settlement units in the Nof Zion enclave, located inside the Jabal Al-Mukaber neighborhood. Plans to add 380 units and a school were discussed February 5th by the Jerusalem Municipality.
      • Sheikh Jarrah (1) – a plan to build the Glassman Yeshiva  and dormitory (or “Or Somayach Yeshiva) at the entrance to the neighborhood. This plan was revived in January 2025 and the Jerusalem District Committee has indicated that it intends to reach final approval of the plan by September 2025.
      • Sheikh Jarrah (2) – a plan to demolish the Um Haroun section of the neighborhood and replace it with a new settlement. The Jerusalem Local Planning Committee is expected to hold its first hearing on this plan in March 2025.
      • Atarot – a plan to build a new settlement with 9,000 unit located on the northern edge of East Jerusalem. This plan was revived in January 2025 and appears to be moving forward.
      • Givat Shaked South – a plan to add 200 new settlement units and takeover and addition 20 dunams of land in the northern part of the Beit Safafa neighborhood. This plan was discussed in January 2025 by the Jerusalem District Committee.
      • Nofey Rachel – a plan to build a new settlement near the main entrance to the Umm-Tuba neighborhood. 

Gazafication of the West Bank

State & Setter Terrorism

The U.S. Scene

 

Welcome to FMEP’s Weekly Settlement Report, this week we are issuing an covering everything you need to know about Israeli settlement activity this week.

To subscribe to this report, please click here.

February 28, 2025

De Jure Annexation Proceeds, Govt Set to OK Jerusalem-Area Annexation Bill

Reestablishing Gaza Settlements

The Ongoing “Gazafication” of the West Bank

More Settlement News & Analysis

The Trump-Netanyahu Mind Meld & U.S. Politics

Eliminating Civil Society Space in Israel

 

Welcome to FMEP’s Weekly Settlement Report, this week we are issuing an covering everything you need to know about Israeli settlement activity this week.

To subscribe to this report, please click here.

February 21, 2025

Israel Advances Plans for 1,000 New Settlement Units

Israel Moves to Seize Armenian Patriarchate Land in Old City of Jerusalem

Settlers to Convene Conference Demanding Establishment of Gaza Settlements

Israel’s “Gazafication” of the West Bank Continues: News & Analysis

Settler Terrorism Continues

Knesset’s Multi-Pronged Attack on Civil Society

The U.S. Scene

 

Welcome to FMEP’s Weekly Settlement Report, this week we are issuing an abcovering everything you need to know about Israeli settlement activity this week.

To subscribe to this report, please click here.

February 14, 2025

Settlements, Outposts, & Land Grabs

Knesset Action

Israel Carries Out 11 Demolitions in Masafer Yatta

Israel Antiquities Authority Defies State-Backed Push to Annex West Bank Antiquities

Settler Terrorism Continues

The ‘Gazafication’ of the West Bank Continues

East Jerusalem Intensification

Trump, Netanyahu, & West Bank Annexation

Analysis & Commentary

Welcome to FMEP’s Weekly Settlement Report, covering major news on Israeli settlement and annexation activity this week.

To subscribe to this report, please click here.

February 7, 2025

  1. East Jerusalem Settlement Plans to Watch
  2. Israel Pushing Raze Palestinian Homes in Sheikh Jarrah, Build New Settlement Enclave
  3. High Court Orders Zanuta Return, Again
  4. High Court Orders Investigation Into Settler Municipal Councils
  5. Settler Population Grew 2.3% in 2024
  6. Trump to Decide on West Bank Annexation In Four Weeks
  7. Bonus Reads

East Jerusalem Settlement Plans to Watch

Haaretz reports that, with Trump installed in office, the Israeli government is pushing forward at least three settlement plans in the greater Jerusalem area:

  1. Atarot Settlement – see background here.
  2. Givat Hamatos settlement expansion towards Beit Safafa – see background here.
  3. The Glassman Yeshiva plan for Sheikh Jarrah – see background here.
  4. A settlement enclave plan in Sheikh Jarrah (See below)

Israel Pushing Raze Palestinian Homes in Sheikh Jarrah, Build New Settlement Enclave

Haaretz reports the Jerusalem Municipality is advancing plans for the construction of a new settlement enclave – composed of 312 residential units in 15 buildings – in the heart of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem. If enacted, the plan will displace dozens of Palestinian families in the Um Haroun section of the community, destroying approximately 40 buildings, in favor of Israeli Jews.

East Jerusalem expert Danny Seideman writes:

“For the first time since 1967, the Government of Israel intends to raze a Palestinian [neighborhood] in East Jerusalem, displace its residents and build an Israeli settlement in its stead. This is without precedent.”

The land in question was secretly brought under the management of the Israeli General Custodian, a clandestine effort that was discovered in May 2021 by Ir Amim and Bimkom. The land registration procedures were carried out without notifying Palestinian residents or providing an opportunity to defend ownership claims. Legal efforts to halt Israel’s registration of the lands were denied.

Ir Amim researcher Aviv Tatarsky told Haaretz:

“The plan is part of a racist policy aimed at establishing Jewish supremacy in the city and pushing out its Palestinian residents. The new plan being promoted by the government is nothing but a calculated assault on Palestinian presence in Jerusalem. It aims to erase an entire neighborhood and turn it into a settler outpost.”

High Court Orders Zanuta Return, Again

For the second time, the Israeli High Court of Justice ordered the State of Israel to facilitate the safe return of residents to their homes in Zanuta, located in the South Hebron Hills, by February 16th. Residents of Zanuta have been forced to flee from their homes twice now, both times due to the persistent violent harassment and attacks perpetrated by nearby settlers. In the most recent ruling, the Court ordered that Israeli police and the army must provide ongoing and sustained protection to the residents, and the Court ruled the State must allow residents to repair homes and infrastructure that were damaged/demolished by settlers when the residents were absent. In the past, the State tried to coerce residents into permanently abandoning Zanuta by refusing to issue new permits and to carry out demolitions against the remaining buildings that did not already have permits.

The villagers first left in November 2023 after violence escalated dramatically following the events of October 7th. In July 2024 the Israeli High Court of Justice ruled that the State of Israel must facilitate their safe return to the land. Villagers started returning to the area in August 2024 to discover that in the intervening months, settlers have been allowed to enter the area and destroy nearly all of the houses, the small school, and the village’s health clinic. The village appeared ransacked. Only days after their initial return, the village was attacked by Yinon Levy (a settler under international sanctions for his involvement in violence) while the Israeli police and army watched.

High Court Orders Investigation Into Settler Municipal Councils

On February 4th, the Israeli High Court of Justice ordered Israeli police to open a criminal investigation into the involvement of two settlement regional councils in the illegal construction of outposts. The Court made this ruling in response to petitions filed by Peace Now, which documented the alleged  involvement of the settlement councils in constructing three outposts: Shvut Rachel, Haroeh, and Alonei Shiloh. Since the petition was filed in 2018 the Shvut Rachel outpost has been granted retroactive legalization by the Israeli government; and, the Alonei Shiloh outpost is in the process of receiving retroactive legalization.

Settler Population Grew 2.3% in 2024

According to data compiled by the pro-settlement advocacy group “West Bank Stats”, the population of settlers in the West Bank (not including East Jerusalem) rose by 2.3% in 2024 – 12,000 individuals. The 2023 growth rate was 2.9%.

The group’s founder, Baruch Gordon, told ABC News that he expects “an explosion in [settlement] construction” during the Trump Administration.

Trump to Decide on West Bank Annexation In Four Weeks

At a press conference on February 4th alongside Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu,  President Trump said he will announce whether or not his administration will support Israel’s de jure annexation of the West Bank in four weeks. When asked a question by a reporter who stated their support for annexation, President Trump said:

“We’re discussing that with many of your representatives. You’re represented very well… [but] we haven’t been taking a position on it yet…People do like the idea, but we haven’t taken a position on it yet. We’ll be making an announcement probably on that very specific topic over the next four weeks.”

Trump has appointed many officials in his administration who strongly support Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, including his nomination for U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, and the newly appointed Ambassador to the UN, Elise Stefanik.

During Trump’s election campaign, Miriam Adelson – who donated $100 million to Trump’s effort – reportedly conditioned her funding on Trump’s pledge to support West Bank annexation, though a spokesperson for Adelson denied the report.

Bonus Reads

  1. “NGOs, Trade Unions, Call on EU to Ban Trade with Israel’s Illegal Settlements” (Human Rights Watch)
  2. “As part of West Bank offensive, Israel conducts largest demolition in years” (Mondoweiss)
  3. “Curfews, demolitions and airstrikes: Israel expands West Bank offensive to Tulkarem, Jordan Valley” (Mondoweiss)
  4. “Israeli Settler Indicted After Opening Fire on Palestinian Family Harvesting Olives in the West Bank” (Haaretz)
  5. “West Bank? No, Judea and Samaria, Some Republicans Say.” (New York Times)
  6. “What Just Happened: Trump’s Termination of West Bank Settler Sanctions” (Just Security)
  7. “Trump’s Gaza plan suggests his pro-settler advisers are in the ascendant” (The Guardian)

Welcome to FMEP’s Weekly Settlement Report, covering everything you need to know about Israeli settlement and annexation activity this week.

To subscribe to this report, please click here.

January 31, 2025

  1. Bill to Allow Israelis to Buy West Bank Land Advances in Knesset
  2. Weekly Settlement Advancements Continue for Ninth Week
  3. On First Day in Office, Trump Cancels Sanctions on Violent Settlers
  4. Bonus Reads

Bill to Allow Israelis to Buy West Bank Land Advances in Knesset

On January 29th, the Israeli Knesset’s plenum approved the preliminary reading of a bill (58 – 33) that will allow Israelis to purchase land in the West Bank without any restrictions.  In response, Peace Now called this “annexation and apartheid.”

Under the current law, private, non-Arab individuals cannot purchase land in the West Bank. In 1971, the law was amended to add a loophole allowing companies registered to operate in the West Bank (like the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish National Fund) to purchase property, and often do so only to give it to Israeli settlers. This additional change would open the door for private purchases across the West Bank by settlers and their backers, including in the heart of Palestinian cities. Notably, Israeli security officials have in the past objected to changing this law, based on their recognition of the fact that settlers implanting themselves wherever they want in the West Bank – including in acts intended to be deliberately provocative – will be a security nightmare for the IDF and will enable settlers and their financial patrons to further hijack the national security agenda of the state of Israel.

MK Aida Touma-Sliman wrote:

“Annexation on steroids: The bill that was approved in preliminary reading in the Knesset plenary now removes another obstacle on the way to a complete takeover of the West Bank. In serious violation of international law, Israel behaves as a sovereign in an occupied territory and promotes de jure annexation, a colonialism that is brazenly called “equality”. The approval of the bill today is a direct continuation of structural changes carried out in the area, including construction permits, declaration of state lands, construction of outposts in Area B, road construction, transfer of civil administration powers to Messianic ministers and more. The annexation is no longer crawling, not racing, it is carried out slowly but surely.”

Peace Now writes:

“This is yet another annexation move initiated by the messianic right. The proposal seeks to allow settlers to purchase land without any oversight throughout the West Bank, effectively making them ‘landlords’ in the West Bank in both symbolic and practical terms. The bill would give a small number of extremist settlers the ability to acquire land and later establish settlements, whether in the heart of Hebron or anywhere else and drag the IDF to risk soldiers’ lives and protect them. Furthermore, the Knesset has no authority to legislate laws for areas that are not under Israeli sovereignty, and the attempt to apply Knesset laws to the occupied territory constitutes annexation and a blatant violation of international law.”

Yesh Din explains:

“The law aims to ease the purchase of land in the occupied territory by settlers and to expand the settlement enterprise. It seeks to establish permanent changes in land ownership in the West Bank by enabling, for the first time, individual Israelis to buy land directly instead of the current requirement to buy land through companies registered with the Civil Administration Companies Registry. This kind of ownership would be permanent and irreversible.

The name of the law and its explanatory notes are misleading. The bill presents itself as fixing an ongoing injustice of alleged discrimination against settlers. In reality, the land regime in the West Bank enacts blatant discrimination in which 99% of the public (‘state’) lands are allocated to settlements. If the legislation is fully enacted, it will not only futher entrench the existing discrimination but ease and facilitate the purchase of West Bank lands by Israeli settlers.

Additionally, and no less significantly, legislation by the Israeli Knesset regarding the occupied territory constitutes the application of Israeli sovereignty to the occupied land, in violation of international law, which prohibits annexation.”

Weekly Settlement Advancements Continue for Ninth Week

Peace Now reports the Israeli High Planning Council advanced plans for the construction of 682 settlement units on January 29th. The units are planned for three settlements: 

  • Halamish – plans for 531 new units were deposited for public review. If approved, these plans will double the number of houses there.
  • Mitzad – plans for 126 new units were deposited for public review. And,
  • Peduel – plans for 25 new units received final approval.

This marks the continuation of the weekly convening of the High Planning Council in order to greenlight massive settlement construction.

On First Day in Office, Trump Cancels Sanctions on Violent Settlers

On January 20th – the same day he took office – President Trump announced that he will rescind the February 2024 Executive Order under which the Biden Administration implemented sanctions against Israeli settlers and settler-aligned organizations alleged to have participated in violence in the West Bank. The U.S. Treasury Department officially lifted the sanctions on January 24th.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called Trump’s move an “expression of your deep connection to the Jewish people and our historical right to our land.”

Executive Order 14115 issued on Feb. 1, 2024, which authorized the imposition of certain sanctions “on Persons Undermining Peace,

In a statement, the U.S. advocacy group DAWN said in a statement:

“President Trump’s decision to revoke the U.S. government’s only sanctions against violent settlers and malign settlement organizations driving land theft and settler violence isn’t only a slap in the face to millions of Palestinians enduring decades of terrorist pogroms, but erodes what little hope we have that Trump will succeed in establishing a Palestinian state,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of DAWN. “Instead, Trump is kowtowing to his vicious pro-Israel donor base who were apoplectic at efforts to hold extremist Israelis accountable and convinced him to revoke the sanctions.”

Bonus Reads

  1. “Humanitarian Situation Update #260 | West Bank” (OCHA)
  2. “As Ceasefire Nears, Jared Kushner’s New Investments Could Boost Israeli Settlements” (The Lever)
  3. “US: Sanction Jewish National Fund-Israel (KKL-JNF) for Funding Settlement Expansion and Fostering Settler Violence” (DAWN)
  4. “From Gaza to the West Bank: Israel’s Shifting Fire and the Cost of Impunity” (CIHRS)
  5. “Jenin is ‘only the beginning’: Israel moves its war on Palestinians to the West Bank” (Mondoweiss)
  6. “Israel is shifting its battlefield from Gaza to the West Bank” (The New Arab)
  7. “Online Calls to Action Preceded a Settler Onslaught in the West Bank, and Once Again Palestinians Were Left Unprotected” (Haaretz)
  8. “Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich Appoints West Bank Council Chief as Ministry Director” (Haaretz)

Welcome to FMEP’s Weekly Settlement Report, covering everything you need to know about Israeli settlement and annexation activity this week.

To subscribe to this report, please click here.

January 17, 2025

  1. Settlement Advancement Continue on Weekly Basis
  2. Judge Rules on Five Cases, All in Favor of Settlers Claims in Batan al-Hawa
  3. New Bimkom-Ir Amim Report: Planning in East Jerusalem Completely Halted by New Protocol
  4. New Data Confirms: Settlers Face Virtually NO Accountability for Crimes Against Palestinians & Their Property
  5. Al-Haq and Partners File Additional Info on Booking.Com Settlement Business
  6. Trump Invites Settler Leaders to Attend Inauguration
  7. Bonus Reads

Settlement Advancement Continue on Weekly Basis

Peace Now reports the High Planning Council was scheduled to convene on January 15th to advance plans for 372 new settlement units, all planned for the Beitar Illit settlement. This is the seventh week in a row the HPC has met to approve settlement construction.

The HPC is scheduled to meet again next week, on January 22nd, for the eighth consecutive week. At that meeting, the HPC is expected to give final approval to a plan for the construction of 184 new settlement units in the Migdalim settlement.

Peace Now writes:

“Since the current Netanyahu government took office, record numbers of housing units have been advanced in the West Bank. In 2023, the HPC approved 12,349 housing units—a record high. In 2024, 9,884 housing units were approved. The transition to weekly planning approvals is the result of policy changes introduced by the Netanyahu-Smotrich government. One key decision, made in June 2023, abolished the requirement for the Defense Minister’s approval at every stage of advancing settlement plans. Previously, settlement construction plans required prior approval from the Defense Minister. In recent years, the Defense Minister limited settlement planning sessions to approximately four times a year, resulting in the approval of thousands of units in each session.

In recent weeks, however, a significant change has occurred, with the HPC convening every week to approve a few hundred housing units in each meeting. This systematic approach aims to normalize settlement planning and attract less public and international attention and criticism.”

Judge Rules on Five Cases, All in Favor of Settlers Claims in Batan al-Hawa

Peace Now reports that the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court has ruled in favor of Israeli settlers in four cases (with a fifth ruling expected soon), resulting in the impending eviction of Palestinians from their longtime homes in the Batan al-Hawa section of the Silwan neighborhood in East Jerusalem in favor of the settlers. The five cases will result in 27 Palestinian families (131 individuals, mostly children) being forcibly displaced from their homes. The Court gave the families a six month deadline.

The Court’s ruling accepts settlers’ claim to own the land on which the Palestinians’ homes are located, homes which the Court recognized were legally purchased by Palestinians in the 1960s. Regardless of the validity of the home ownership, the Court recognized the settler’s ownership of the land under a discriminatory Israeli law that allows Jews to “reclaim” property and land that was owned by Jews prior to 1948. This law is being used by settlers to achieve mass displacement of Palestinians across East Jerusalem.

Peace Now writes: 

“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. The International Court of Justice has explicitly addressed the discriminatory legal framework and Israel’s settlement policy in East Jerusalem in its advisory opinion, declaring these practices a violation of international law.”

Ir Amim writes:

“Since the outbreak of the war, there has been a dramatic spike in the number of court decisions authorizing evictions of Palestinian families in favor of settler groups. Over the past several months, the courts have ruled to evict a total of 17 families (households), numbering some 100 individuals–the majority of whom are from Batan al-Hawa.”

New Bimkom-Ir Amim Report: Planning in East Jerusalem Completely Halted by New Protocol

Ir Amim and Bimkom have released a new report examining the recent intensification of Israel systematical denial of the ability for Palestinians to plan for construction in East Jerusalem. In 2023 Israel replaced the traditional “Muktar Protocol” with a new process which has resulted in a near total freeze on planning for Palestinians on unregistered private property.

The report explains:

“In comparison to the “Mukhtar Protocol,” the new protocol has had a detrimental impact on private residential planning (and building) in East Jerusalem4. According to the new protocol, planning and building submissions are required to include Jordanian property tax certificates from the early 1960s or earlier (or Israeli property tax until the year 2000) along with records detailing the historical chain of ownership up to the present. These requirements, usually demanded only as part of SOLT procedures– which are problematic in themselves– are new to the planning process. Additionally, the new protocol requires that the District Planning Bureau approach state authorities, such as the Custodian of Absentee Property (CAP), the General Custodian (GC), the Israel Land Authority (ILA), the Municipality, and the SOLT registrar to check whether they have claims on the same land. In the past, the SOLT registrar was not on this list, and the Planning Bureau often did not wait for responses from the other entities to proceed.

Now, the SOLT registrar has been in effect given the right of veto within the planning process. The added requirements present East Jerusalem Palestinians with two difficulties – a bureaucratic and a fundamental one. The bureaucratic difficulty is related to the challenge of obtaining the necessary documents. The fundamental difficulty is the real danger of losing land under the Absentee Property Law, which is applied through the new protocol, as it is via SOLT.”

New Data Confirms: Settlers Face Virtually NO Accountability for Crimes Against Palestinians & Their Property

Yesh Din’s newly updated tracking shows that 94% of criminal investigations into ideological offenses committed by Israelis against Palestinians in the West Bank in the past 20 years have been closed without indictments. Further, Yesh Din has found insufficient investigations into 81% of the cases, displaying “a longstanding systemic and deliberate failure in law enforcement responses to ideologically motivated crime against Palestinians in the West Bank.”

Yesh Din further explains that the larger context of this data paints an even more dire picture. They find 66% of Palestinian victims chose not to file complaints against Israeli offenders at all – meaning the data does not tell the full story. Palestinians victims of Israeli violence routinely cite a lack of faith in the Israel Police and trust that the Israeli authorities in their decision not to file a complaint.

The picture is clear: violence is a policy. Settler violence is part of a systematic approach aimed at expanding control over West Bank territory by making Palestinian lives unbearable and pushing them off their lands.

Yesh Din writes:

“This reflects the ongoing failure of Israeli authorities to enforce the law against Israeli citizens who commit serious crimes against Palestinians and their property. For two decades, we have monitored this phenomenon and provided legal assistance to Palestinian victims. The new data underscores the lack of deterrence and the lenient policies of Israeli law enforcement toward ideological crimes. Most investigations are closed on grounds such as “unknown perpetrator” or “lack of evidence,” highlighting negligent and ineffective investigations. Only 3% of cases resulted in convictions, giving offenders a sense of immunity from accountability for their actions while Palestinians whose rights are violated remain unprotected by the law.”

Al-Haq and Partners File Additional Info on Booking.Com Settlement Business

Al-Haq and partners have filed additional evidence against Booking.com accusing the travel company of profiting from stolen land through its decision to promote rentals located in settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The new evidence, which was submitted to a court in the Netherlands where the case was filed in 2023, accuses Booking.com of adding to the number of listings it hosts in settlements – from 13 rentals to 39 rentals in East Jerusalem over the past year.

The complainants write:

“In our complaint, we argue that by promoting and listing properties in illegal settlements, Booking.com directly supports the normalisation and economic sustainability of these unlawful practices. The company provides financial backing to settlers and their enterprises, furthering the displacement of Palestinians and solidifying settlement expansion. This conduct sustains Israel’s settler-colonial regime and violations of international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits population transfer into occupied territories. We have substantiated our claims thoroughly. For instance, the additional evidence builds on the July 2024 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice, which reaffirmed the illegality of Israeli settlements and underscored the responsibility of states to prevent economic activities that perpetuate them.”

Trump Invites Settler Leaders to Attend Inauguration

Settlers leaders from the powerful Yesha Council are gleefully celebrating their invitation to attend the inauguration of Donald Trump, who is being sworn into office on January 20th.  Yesha Council Chairman and Binyamin Regional Council Head Israel Ganz, Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan, Oranit Council Head Or Piron-Zomer, and Yesha Council CEO Omer Rahamim all plan to attend as official guests.

The Times of Israel reports the delegation plans to deliver a letter thanking Trump for “redeeming” Jerusalem and recognizing Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights during his previous presidency.

Speaking about the delegations plans, a Yesha Council official told Israel Hayom:

“Our objective is to strengthen existing connections and forge new ones. Washington’s attention is elsewhere at present. Trump is focused on Greenland sovereignty matters, not Israel’s concerns in Judea and Samaria. Timing is crucial. We must proceed strategically and appropriately.”

In a statement to Israel Hayom, Yesha Council Chairman Israel Ganz said: 

“We represent Judea and Samaria residents in standing with our allies and President-elect Trump at this historic moment. The administration’s invitation reflects our shared Biblical values with the US. We face a common moral challenge against global threats, with Judea and Samaria settlements serving as the frontline defense for Israel, America, and the free world. We envision achieving transformative progress that will ensure global stability for generations, and we support Trump’s leadership in this endeavor. Our ongoing dialogue with senior administration officials continues to advance these goals.”

Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan told Israel Hayom: 

“Our delegation brings the blessing of the communities in Judea and Samaria to the new administration. Years of relationship-building with our newly elected American friends have created this pivotal opportunity for Israel, particularly its government, to achieve significant advances in strengthening our presence in the Land of Israel. Our unified approach underscores the importance of maintaining strong ties with the incoming American administration and bolstering support for the communities in Judea and Samaria, both internationally and among US Jewish communities.”

Bonus Reads

  1. “Defense Chief Cancels Detention Without Trial for Settlers Ahead of ‘Terrorists’ Release in Gaza Hostage Deal” (Haaretz)​
  2. “Humanitarian Situation Update #256 | West Bank” (OCHA)
  3. “Israeli minister asks PM to back plan for a million Jews in Samaria” (JNS)

Welcome to FMEP’s Weekly Settlement Report, covering everything you need to know about Israeli settlement and annexation activity this week.

To subscribe to this report, please click here.

January 10, 2025

  1. Six Consecutive Weeks of Settlement Advancements
  2. Israel Expands Jurisdiction of Adam Settlement to “Legalize” Nearby Outpost, Formalize Violent Dispossession of Palestinians
  3. Israel Renews Plan for Yeshiva in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem
  4. Smotrich Increases Subsidy Program for Illegal Farming Outposts
  5. Court Tells IDF To Publish More Land Allocations in Advance
  6. Rapid Outpost Growth Caps 2024
  7. Bonus Reads

Six Consecutive Weeks of Settlement Advancements

Israel has shifted to weekly planning approvals to end the 2024 year and start 2025.

Starting in early December 2024, the High Planning Council (which is the body in the Israeli Defense Ministry which oversees construction in the West Bank) has met weekly to approve settlement construction, a significant escalation in its activity. In the first eight days of 2025, the HPC has already met twice to advance construction plans for 1,213 new settlement units – a rate which could result in the soaring pace of final approval and construction commencement.

Peace Now said in a statement: 

“The Higher Planning Council’s weekly meetings indicate an attempt to normalize settlement planning, aiming to maximize housing unit approvals while minimizing public and international criticism. These weekly sessions exemplify the Netanyahu-Smotrich government’s annexation policy, which is leading to either a political deadlock or, worse, a political and security crisis.”

The approvals/advancements are as follows:

On December 4, 2024 the HPC convened to advance the construction of 274 settlement units, including:

  • Elon Moreh – 83 units advanced
  • Mitzpe Yishai – 79 units advanced
  • Ma’ale Amos – 112 units advanced

On December 11, 2024 the HPC convened to advance the construction of 227 settlement units, including:

  • Telem – 196 units approved
  • Eli – 21 units advanced
  • Givat Ze’ev – 10 units approved

On December 18, 2024 the HPS convened to advance 286 settlement units, including:

  • Eli – 118 units advanced
  • Nofim – 168 units advanced

On December 25, 2024 the HPC convened to advance 198 settlement units, including:

  • Givat Ze’ev – 5 units advanced
  • Etz Efraim – 192 units advanced
  • Alei Zahav – 1 unit advanced

On January 1, 2025 the HPC convened to advanced 765 settlement units, including:

  • Beitar Illit – 765 units approved for construction

On January 8, 2025 the HPC convened to advance 448 settlement units, including:

  • Kochav Yaakov – 1 unit advanced
  • Geva Binyamin – 356 units approved
  • Karnei Shomron – 68 units approved
  • Beitar Illit – 23 units advanced

Israel Expands Jurisdiction of Adam Settlement to “Legalize” Nearby Outpost, Formalize Violent Dispossession of Palestinians

Peace Now reports the Israeli Civil Administration has published a notice of intent to expand the jurisdiction of the Adam settlement (aka Geva Binyamin) to include a nearby illegal outpost, Bnei Adam, as well as the land from which the Palestinian community of Briyat Hizma was violently expelled in October 2023 (one of the X communities coerced into abandoning the land and homes under the incessant, escalating, and uninhibited terrorism of settlers). This move will allow Israel to grant legal status to the outpost, claiming it as a neighborhood of the Adam settlement).

Peace Now said in a statement:

“This is an extreme example of the Israeli government’s method of dispossession and takeover: settlers establish an illegal outpost, then violently expel Palestinian neighbors, and finally the government steps in to permanently take over the land, include it within the settlement area, and allow for the legalization of the illegal outpost. Settler violence is not a bug; it’s a feature, and part of an illegal and immoral policy of dispossession and expulsion operated by Netanyahu’s government.”

Israel Renews Plan for Yeshiva in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem

Ir Amim reports that Israel is planning to revive a highly controversial and potentially destabilizing plan to build a massive yeshiva at the entrance to the Palestinian East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. The Jerusalem District Planning Committee was scheduled to hold a private discussion on the plan January 7th; the plan – referred to as the Glassman Yeshiva – calls for the construction of an 11-story building (3 stories below ground) which will include a religious school and dormitories for students and faculty. There are several settler enclaves in Sheikh Jarrah currently, while Palestinians are facing concerted eviction efforts by settlers and the government. The situation in Sheikh Jarrah has long been volatile and violent, and the focus of international solidarity protests.

The yeshiva is slated to be built on a patch of land that was expropriated from Palestinian owners for “public needs”; in 2007 the land was transferred by the Israeli government to the Ohr Somayach Institutions, an international organization which is promoting the yeshiva plan. Ir Amim reports that in 2023, the Ohr Somayach Institutions received over 6 million NIS from its U.S. branch and its donors.

Ir Amim has filed a formal letter to the District Planning Committee arguing that erroneous and incomplete information was provided to planning authorities regarding the plan, and that there is a severe shortage of available land for Palestinian use – including public buildings and schools. These same issues were formally raised by Ir Amim in 2021, and there has been no public reports that the issues with the planning of the yeshiva have been resolved or justified.

Smotrich Increases Subsidy Program for Illegal Farming Outposts 

In late December 2024, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced a increased funding for a grant program that provides subsidies to settlement agricultural farms, including illegal farming outposts. These types of illegal outposts are increasingly popular tools for settlers to assert control over a large amount of territory with only a few settlers and a herd of livestock. Smotrich celebrated the  has increased the budget for supporting West Bank agricultural farms and expedited the grant process for those seeking government subsidies.

While visiting the Mishkenot Harel farming outpost, Smotrich told press:

“Our policy is aimed at preserving national land reserves, creating secure and strategic territorial contiguity, and curbing Palestinian efforts to expand their illegal control over lands in the region,” declares Smotrich, who also serves as a minister in the Defense Ministry with control over the recently established Settlements Administration.”

Court Tells IDF To Publish More Land Allocations in Advance

Peace Now reports that a new ruling by the Israeli High Court of Justice has limited the exceptions under which the state can ignore its obligation to publish in advance notice of its intention to allocate lands in the West Bank that are outside of the boundaries of settlements. Since a previous Court ruling in 2015, the State has published only a small percentage of land allocations, not always including allocation renewals or allocations related to absentee properties. The ruling is the direct result of Peace Now’s petition challenging the secretive land allocation process which denied Palestinians any opportunity to prove land ownership claims.

Peace Now said in a statement: 

 “The court issued a red card to the government today and ruled that the time has come to stop the lawlessness and the distribution of land in the dark. For 57 years, the State of Israel has done whatever it wants with land in the Occupied Territories, with no transparency and outside the rules of proper administration. As a result, 99.76% of the land allocated by Israeli authorities in the Territories has been allocated only to Israelis, while almost nothing has been allocated to Palestinians. This statistic is one of the reasons Israel is accused of maintaining an apartheid regime in the territories. If there had been minimal transparency in the government’s actions in the Territories, it is possible they would not have dared to act in such a discriminatory and blatant manner.”

Rapid Outpost Growth Caps 2024 

Peace Now reports that settlers have established at least seven new outposts in the last two months of 2024, all of which are located on land classified as Area B under the Oslo Accords. Five of the new outposts are located in the so-called “Agreed Upon Reserve” – a large area of land to the south and east of Bethlehem that has come under the intense targeting by Bezalel Smotrich and his settler allies who have moved to formalize unilateral Israeli sovereignty there. The other two new outposts are in the Ramallah area.

Peace Now documented over a dozen Palestinian homes that have been abandoned as a result of these new outposts, likely in fear of the violence settlers routinely inflict on Palestinians in their vicinity. Palestinians have already reported several violent encounters with one of the new outposts (called “Mikne Avraham” by settlers) located in the Agreed Upon Reserve. Haaretz reports that several young adults and teenagers are living at the Mikne Avraham outpost and they are terrorizing Palestinian herding communities who live nearby. In one case, the settlers have beaten a young Palestinian twice, conducted a home invasion posing as IDF, and set first to the same families’ granary. That Palestinian family has fled under the threat of escalating violence and non-responses from the Israeli military police.

Peace Now notes that, over the past decades, the Israeli government has not enabled or permitted settlement building in Area B, while allowing rampant illegal settlement construction across Area C. That seems to have changed now, with settlers seeing a green light to illegally establish Israeli presence in Area B. Of the five new settlements established in Area B in recent months, only one (which was built on lands north of Turmus Ayya) has been removed by the IDF, though settlers have already re-established the outposts.

In total, settlers established 52 new outposts in 2024, of which 13.5% are located in Area B. Commenting on the maximalist ambitions of Israeli settlers, Peace Now said in a statement:

“After seizing control of Area C and systematically displacing Palestinians through house demolitions and settler violence, settlers have now set their sights on Area B,” Peace Now said upon publishing its new report. The Israeli government’s annexation plans are not limited to Area C. By enabling settlers to establish outposts deep in Area B, the government blatantly violates another critical element of the Oslo Accords. If we do not act today, we will find ourselves returning to full military rule across the entire West Bank.”

The Haaretz Editorial Board writes:

“Supporters of annexation are no longer making do with Area C of the West Bank – that is, the part assigned to full Israeli control by the Oslo Accords. The success of the theft enterprise in Area C has increased their appetite, and they are constantly seeking to expand to other areas.For some time now, the movement to steal Palestinian lands has also been setting its sights on Area B, the part of the West Bank under Palestinian civilian control but Israeli security control….The demolition of Palestinian buildings in an area that Israel has until now refrained from interfering with, coupled with the establishment of new outposts, shows that annexation has begun creeping into Area B as well. This is a dangerous development. It threatens the Palestinians living there and accelerates Israel’s descent into a thuggish apartheid state that has removed itself from the family of nations.”

Bonus Reads

  1. “Humanitarian Situation Update #254 | West Bank” (OCHA OPT)
  2. “Overkill: A Critical Appraisal of the Use of Force by Israel in the West Bank” (Diakonia)
  3. “Israeli settlements, and the expanding divide of settlers and Palestinians” (CBS News)
  4. “Candidate for Israel’s Top Court Lives in House Illegally Built on Private Palestinian Land” (Haaretz)
  5. “Israel mulls calling int’l conference to divide Syria into cantons – report” (i24 News)
  6. “After decades fighting demolitions, Palestinian sees own home wrecked” (Washington Post)
  7. “ Israel’s Policy of Judaization Is Swallowing Arab Towns and Building Synagogues in Their Place” (Haaretz Editorial)