Settlement & Annexation Report: September 8, 2023

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

To subscribe to this report, please click here.

September 8, 2023

Israel Establishes Official Borders for Three Outposts
IDF Demolishes Illegal Settler Structures Near Yitzhar
Settler Leader Pushes Campaign to Seize Mt. Ebal, Located in Area B
New Civil Admin Head Nominated, Without Input or Approval of Smotrich
Real Estate Developer Files Suit Against Settlers, IDF
Blistering New UN Report Calls Israeli Occupation Illegal & Calls for Reparations
Settler Terrorism as a Means of State-Sanctioned Ethnic Cleansing
Bonus Reads

Israel Establishes Official Borders for Three Outposts

On September 6th, the head of the IDF signed a military order establishing municipal borders for three outposts – Avigail, Asa’el, and Beit Hogla – a significant step towards the retroactive legalization of the outposts, which was directed by the Israeli government in February 2023 (along with five others). The Avigail and Asael outposts are located in the South Hebron Hills; the Beit Hogla outpost is south east of Jericho.

The next step in the legalization of the outposts is creating a masterplan to designate the area for residential construction, so that the existing buildings can be granted retroactive legalization and future building can commence planning.

Bezalel Smotrich (who is effectively governor of the West Bank in his capacity as a minister within the Defense Ministry) celebrated this step towards legalization of the outposts, saying:

“Great things are happening in the settlements, and the nationalist government is advancing right-wing, Zionist and nationalist policies that see the development of the settlements in Judea and Samaria as an asset to the State of Israel,”

Peace Now said in a statement:

“The annexation has for a long time stopped creeping. The Israeli government led by Netanyahu and Smotrich has officially decided to promote with all its vigor the annexation of the West Bank. The decision of the commander of the IDF Central Command regarding the municipal boundaries is yet another step in this process. Not only is the State of Israel promoting more settlements, which do great damage to Israelis and Palestinians, it is also giving each settlement a huge and disproportionate area for its boundary jurisdiction…The main goal of the regime and the messianic [judicial] coup is to enable such processes, and to import the reality of apartheid in the [West Bank] territories into the territory of the State of Israel,” it added. “Anyone who opposes the regime coup must oppose this process that will lead us to the end of the State of Israel as a democratic and Jewish state.”

Reported last week, the Israeli non-profit Kerem Navot says that the proposed new boundary of the Asa’el settlement is eighteen times larger than the outpost, which currently has 71 (illegal, even under Israeli law) buildings. The boundary of the Avigail settlement is nearly three times the size of the outpost.

The Avigail outpost, currently composed of 48 buildings, is located in Firing Zone 918 in the South Hebron Hills. This is the same firing zone that is home to the Palestinian communities of Masafer Yatta — whose existence pre-dates Israel’s declaration of the area as a firing zone. Those communities are today in the process of being ethnically cleansed by Israel. Both Avigail and Asael have, illegally, built access roads on privately owned Palestinian land. Legalization of the Avigail outposts will undoubtedly also include the theft of the Palestinian-owned land these roads were illegally built on.

The Beit Hogla outpost is located in the Jordan Valley near the Dead Sea, and has 22 buildings currently.

IDF Demolishes Illegal Settler Structures Near Yitzhar

On September 4th, an estimated 150 Israeli soldiers and police arrived on land near the radical Yitzhar settlement to forcibly remove settlers and demolish three illegal structures. One of the structures, described as a lookout point, was located in Area B, while two others were built on land that the Oslo Accords designated as Area C. The Times of Israel reports this is only the third time the current government has carried out a demolition order against illegal settler construction.

Settlers expressed fury following the demolition of the structures, which settlers say were constructed in the memory of Rina Schnerb – an Israeli settler who was killed by a bomb placed by a Palestinian at a West Bank spring. The fury, almost entirely, was directed at Bezalel Smotrich who is single handedly responsible for overseeing demolition actions in Area C of the West Bank.

Settler Leader Pushes Campaign to Seize Mt. Ebal, Located in Area B

Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria settlement council and a prominent leader, went on Israeli TV to push the government to unilaterally annex the area of Mt. Ebal in the northern west bank, known as el-Burnat by Palestinians. Mt. Ebal/el-Burnat is located in Area B of the West Bank, some 22% of the West Bank that the Oslo Accords does not afford Israel control over civilian matters like archaeology. Dagan alleges that the Palestinian Authority is “systematically trying to destroy the heritage sites of the Jewish people.” As FMEP has chronicled, settlers and their allies are intent upon using claims of Palestinian damage/neglect as a pretext for Israel taking control of archaeological sites and artifacts across the West Bank.

Dagan pushed for action, saying:

“I am very upset because we will not be able to chase the mosquitoes. We need to dry up the swamp. The Israeli government must regain full control over Joshua’s Altar on Mount Ebal. It must fence it and place a guard there. Netanyahu said two years ago that we would place a guard there and I expect that the promise will be kept and a guard will be posted. No nation would accept a situation where its most important heritage sites are abandoned to systematic destruction and looting.”

Mt.Ebal/el-Burnat is purported to be an antiquity site where the biblical prophet Joshua built an altar, originally identified as such in the 1980s by an Israeli archaeologist though the majority of professional archaeologists do not support that conclusion. Emek Shaveh, an Israeli NGO with expertise in archaeology, called the settler campaign to seize Mt. Ebal as a “watershed in Israeli archaeology.” In July 2023, Emek Shaveh reported that a triad composed of settlers, an American Christian evangelical organization, and the Israeli army collaborated on a recent unlicensed excavation on Mount Ebal, which Emek Shaveh called antiquity theft. Further, the groups transferred some 80 cubic meters of soil from Mount Ebal to the Shavei Shomron settlement, where settlers then promoted an opportunity for members of the public to join the archaeologists in sifting through the materials (thereby promoting tourism to the settlements). Haaretz called the excavation “is mainly used as a tourist attraction to the West Bank and is of little scientific significance.”

Emek Shaveh’s explained the significance of what is happening on Mount Ebal:

“The archaeological site at Mount Ebal is becoming a watershed in Israeli archaeology. The activity on the site has turned from a pirate operation led by a group of Messianic Jews and Christians into a state sponsored operation under the auspices of the Civil Administration led by Minister Bezalel Smotrich.This is yet another violation of the Oslo Accords and suspected violation of domestic and international law that is whitewashed by Israeli authorities and intended to serve as a method for advancing the annexation of the West Bank to Israel.In addition to the alleged violation of the law, the excavation constitutes an ethical failure by the entire archaeological community in Israel whose silence continues to grant legitimacy to such projects. A comprehensive and immediate investigation is required by all the relevant parties as well as independently by the Israeli Archaeological Association.”

As a reminder, on July 17th the Israeli government approved a three-year $33 million (NIS 120 million) plan to take control over archaeological sites throughout the West Bank, including plans to establish 4-7 new settlement tourist sites. The $33million budget came in addition to $9 million dollars in funding that the government approved in May 2023 to develop and “renovate” the archaeological site of Sebastia, located near the Palestinian village of Sebastia, north of Nablus in the heart of the West Bank. The project includes plans to pave a new access road for Israelis to reach the site, which they currently have to access by traveling through the Palestinian village of Sebastia, which will increase and entrench Israeli control not only over the site itself but the surrounding area – effectively weaponizing archaeology as a tool for dispossession.

In January 2021, the Israeli government committed funding to a new settler initiative to surveil archeological sites under Palestinian control. While the objective of protecting antiquities might appear uncontroversial and apolitical, the true (and transparently self-evident) objectives behind this effort are: to support yet another pretext to surveil and police Palestinians; to establish and exploit yet another means to dispossess Palestinians of their properties; to expand/deepen Israeli control across the West Bank; and to further entrench Israeli technical, bureaucratic and legal paradigms that treat the West Bank as sovereign Israeli territory. It is the result of a campaign that has taken place over the past year in which settlers have escalated their calls for the Israeli government to seize antiquities and “heritage sites” located in Palestinian communities across the West Bank, especially in Area C, which Israel today treats as functionally (and legally) indistinguishable from sovereign Israeli territory. Funding committed by Israel for West Bank “heritage sites” should be understood in this context

Previous victories for the settlers in this same arena include the Israeli Civil Administration’s issuance in 2020 of expropriation orders – the first of their kind in 35 years – for two archaeological sites located on privately owned Palestinian property northwest of Ramallah. The settlers’ pressure is also credited as the impetus behind the government’s clandestine raid of a Palestinian village in July 2020 to seize an ancient font.

In June 2020, the “Guardians of Eternity” group began surveying areas in the West Bank that Israel has designated as archaeological sites, looking for Palestinian construction (barred by Israel in such areas) that they could then use as a pretext to demand that Israeli authorities demolish it. The group communicates its findings to the Archaeology Unit of the Israeli Civil Administration (reminder: the Civil Administration is the arm of the Israeli Defense Ministry which since 1967 has functioned as the de facto sovereign over the West Bank). The Archaeology Unit, playing its part, then delivers eviction and demolition orders against Palestinians, claiming that the structures damage antiquities in the area.

And one more reminder: in 2017, Israel designated 1,000 new archaeological sites in Area C of the West Bank. The “Guardians of Eternity” group, not coincidentally, is an offshoot of the radical Regavim organization, which among other things works to push Israeli authorities to demolish Palestinian construction (on Palestinians’ own land) that lacks Israeli permits (permits that Israel virtually never grants).

New Civil Admin Head Nominated, Without Input or Approval of Smotrich

On September 3rd,, the IDF Chief of Staff appointed Brig. Gen. Hisham Ibrahim as head of the Civil Administration, the body within the Israeli Defense Ministry which acts as administrator of the occupation. The appointment was made without the approval of Bezalel Smotrich, who wields virtually unchecked power over civilian matters in Area C of the West Bank as a minister within the Defense Ministry and head of the “Settlements Administration” and as entitled to appoint the Deputy Chief of the Civil Administration.

Israel Hayom further reports that Smotrich recommended his own candidate for the post, but was rebuffed by Defense Minister Gallant and the head of the IDF.

Real Estate Developer Files Suit Against Settlers, IDF

Haaretz reports that the Union Construction and Investment company has filed a $5.2million lawsuit with the Tel Aviv District Court against six settlers, the IDF, and Israeli police – a lawsuit which documents 74 raids by Israeli settlers into the land and construction site the company is developing in the Palestinian village of Turmus Ayya in the northern West Bank. The company is owned by Palestinian-Canadian Khaled Al-Sabawi, who purchased land in Turmus Ayya in 2019, planning to build a housing project on the land.

The lawsuit alleges that settlers damaged the construction site in 26 separate incidents, which include damaging construction equipment and physical attacks on the company’s employees and clients. The settlers also have been repeatedly video-taped intimidating Palestinian workers and clients who go to the site, telling them “This isn’t your land,” “You can’t be here,” “If you love your children, don’t bring them here.” The Israeli police and IDF are accused in the lawsuit of failing to stop the settlers’ violence.

One of the six defendants is Elisha Yered, a well-known, radical, and violent settler who has been repeatedly in the news cycle, most recently for his involvement in the murder of Qosai Jammal Mi’tan in Burqa. Yered lives in the outpost of Ramat Migron in the northern West Bank, and is under ongoing investigation following his arrest in August 2022 for “racist conspiracy” — amongst other charges for crimes against Palestinians. Yered also serves as the spokesman for Otzma Yehudit lawmaker Limor Son Har-Melech.

Al-Sabawi – represented by prominent human rights lawyer Michael Sfard and Hussein Abu Hussein – told Haaretz that he is suing for $5.2 million in damages the company incurred due to the settlers attacks, saying that because of the settlers he cannot sell the properties and some of his clients have even asked for refunds.

The six settlers listed in the lawsuit have filed a response, claiming that their actions are legal forms of protest, that the statute of limitations has expired, and that the development is located in Area B where the Israeli court does not have jurisdiction.

Blistering New UN Report Calls Israeli Occupation Illegal & Calls for Reparations

On August 30th, the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) released an exhaustive 106-page report on the conduct of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories, concluding that the occupation is illegal and that “reparations should be accorded to… Palestinian individuals, corporations & entities, for the generational harm caused by Israel’s land & property appropriations, house demolitions, pillage… denial of return & other war crimes & crimes against humanity.” The report calls for the immediate, unconditional and total withdrawal of Israel’s military forces; the withdrawal of colonial settlers; and the dismantling of the military administrative regime” and more.

Former UN Special Rapporteur on PalestineMichael Lynk called the report:

“the most comprehensive, the most detailed, the most thorough documentation addressing the questions that the UN General Assembly has put before the International Court of Justice regarding its advisory opinion on the legality of Israel’s now over 56-year occupation of Palestine.”

Settler Terrorism as a Means of State-Sanctioned Ethnic Cleansing

There have been several must-read articles detailing how settler violence towards Palestinian herding communities amounts to ethnic cleansing. FMEP recommends reading:

“The End of Widady” (Jewish Currents)
“Settlers Have a Very Effective System for Forcing Palestinians Out of Their Homes” (Avishay Mohar for Haaretz)
“Israeli Settlers Target the Weakest Link as Ethnic Cleansing Becomes Policy” (Gideon Levy for Haaretz)

Bonus Reads

“Important Update on the 6 Homes at Risk of Imminent Demolition in Al-Walaja (East Jerusalem)” (Ir Amim)
“’There Is an Apartheid State Here’: Ex-Mossad Chief on Israel’s West Bank Occupation” (Haaretz)
“Far-right activists in Ma’ale Adumim try to curb Palestinian presence in settlement” (The Times of Israel)
“The Druze ‘Hilltop Youth’: Young men building illegal outposts on Mount Carmel” (Arutz Sheva)

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

To subscribe to this report, please click here.

September 1, 2023

Israel Allocates Lands to WZO in order to Expand Two Settlements
Government Delays Smotrich’s New $185 Million Plan to Expand Settlements
During Time as Tourism Minister, Yariv Levin Poured Money into Settlement Projects
Bonus Reads

Israel Allocates Lands to WZO in order to Expand Two Settlements

Peace Now reports that on August 27, 2023, the Israeli government directed the allocation of state lands near two settlements (Mevo’ot Yericho and Amichai) to the Settlement Division of the World Zionist Organization, which will, in turn, allocate the lands to the settlements for expansion. In addition to the concerning expansion of the two settlements, the might signal the government’s intention to formalize the authority of the Settlement Division – a private, non-state entity – to manage the legal process of allocating state lands to settlements and outposts across the West Bank to settlements.

As a reminder, the Settlement Division is a body within the WZO established in 1971 and fully funded by the Israeli government. It serves as a channel by which the government can establish settlements – legally and illegally – in the occupied territories, while avoiding the rules, regulations, and transparency requirements to which government entities are bound. The Israeli government assigned management responsibilities to the WZO for over 60% of the land in the West Bank which the government declared to be “state land” (90,000 acres/400,000 dunams). The WZO has then given that land to settlers to build settlements and secretly funnel government money to illegal outposts. However, Peace Now reports that in recent years the government has “refrained from granting new lands to the Settlement Division, opting for limited and specific allocations instead. The recent decision signifies a noteworthy shift, indicating the government’s intent to formalize the process of land management in the territories by officially outsourcing it to the Settlement Division.”

Peace Now reminds that the Israeli government has attempted once before to formalize the role of the WZO’s Settlement Division as a legal entity charged with managing and allocating West Bank land. When a bill proposing that move was discussed in the Knesset, it was strongly criticized by then Israeli Deputy Attorney Dina Zilber who said:

“This is about relinquishing the state’s fiduciary obligations in the region and effectively elevating the Settlement Division to a governing body with sweeping authority over land in Judea and Samaria. Land management is one of the most significant authorities that should remain under state control… given that we’re operating in an area controlled by the military commander, an area defined as under belligerent occupation in international law… this territory should be managed by the military commander with consideration for both short-term dynamics and the interests of the protected population, which, in the majority of cases in Judea and Sam aria, happens to be the Palestinian population. Consequently, there’s a collision between short-term considerations and permanent settlements. When a clear governmental authority, originally the responsibility of a proper governmental body, shifts to a non-governmental entity, it’s a concerning change. Here, significant funding is also in play… at the moment, we’re in a situation where the same entity serves as a vital resource manager, funded by the government, but lacks oversight and transparency, providing reports only in hindsight. It wields control over hundreds of thousands of dunams.”

Peace Now said in a statement:

“Allowing the Settlement Division to manage these lands in the occupied territories is comparable to entrusting a fox with guarding the henhouse. This essentially amounts to privatizing land management, which is inconsistent with democratic governance and is unlawful within occupied territories according to international law. The Settlement Division has previously been directly implicated in the appropriation of Palestinian private lands and continues to assist settlers in acquiring extensive lands within the territories, often without public tenders and behind closed doors. It operates autonomously, ignoring the governmental oversight bodies that are supposed to supervise its activities. Despite facing severe criticism from the State Comptroller and the Legal Advisor to the Government in the past, the Netanyahu-Smotrich administration has opted to persist in this direction and formalize the process.”

The settlements that are set to expand – Amichai and Mevo’ot Jericho – are especially notable settlements because of their political contexts and sensitive locations.

The Amichai settlement was approved for construction in 2017, making it (at that time) the first new settlement formally approved by the Israeli government in 25 years. The settlement is located in the heart of the northern West Bank, in the Shiloh Valley, in an area 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. Aerial imagery from 2021 show the massive growth Amichai has enjoyed in the years that followed its establishment, a previously empty hilltop with cultivated fields nearby have been transformed into a sizable suburban neighborhood. In addition to new construction, Amichai was also massively expanded, subsequent to its initial construction, when the Israeli Civil Administration announced that its plan to retroactively legalize the Adei Ad outpost by significantly expanding the borders of the Amichai settlement to turn Adei Ad into a (non-contiguous) neighborhood. In effect, this was a slight-of-hand by Israel to turn the Adei Ad outpost into an entirely new official, legal settlement. Now, the settlement is set to expand yet again, at the continued cost to Palestinians from the nearby village of Turmus Ayya on whose land Amichai was established and whom settlers from the Amichai outpost and others nearby routinely harass and terrorize.

The Mevo’ot Yericho settlement is located in the Jordan Valley just north of Jericho. Established illegally as an outpost, the Israeli government granted retroactive legalization to it 2019, just two days before an election. One of Netanyahu’s most prominent campaign pitches was to unilaterally annex the Jordan Valley, of which the legalization of Mevo’ot Yericho was a part. Prior to the government’s decision to legalize Mevo’ot Yericho, Israeli Attorney General Mandleblit had to rescind his earlier objection to the timing of the approval (during an election campaign), apparently having been convinced that granting retroactive legalization to the outpost was an “urgent” matter. According to a source who spoke to The Times of Israel, Netanyahu convinced Mandleblit of the plan’s urgency by informing him that the Trump’s “Deal of the Century” will put outposts, including Mevo’ot Yericho, at risk for evacuation, and that Israel must “combat” the plan before it is published.

Government Delays Smotrich’s New $185 Million Plan to Expand Settlements

Ynet reports that the Israeli government has temporarily paused consideration of a proposal by Bezalel Smotrich to invest some $185million (700 million NIS) into a variety of projects that will enable the rapid growth of settlements, including establishing new settlements, the retroactive legalization of 155 outposts, and building an airport in the northern West Bank.

Ynet further reports that the faces opposition from the Israeli Shin Bet as well as the United States..

During Time as Tourism Minister, Yariv Levin Poured Money into Settlement Projects

Peace Now has published data and analysis on Yariv Levin’s four year tenure as the Israeli Minister of Tourism (2016-2019), during which time he oversaw the investment of $245 million (NIS 929 million) into “tourism” projects in the West Bank. The amount of funds invested in settlement projects amounted to close to half (46%) of the tourism budget for the entire country.

As a reminder, Israel’s development of tourism sites in the West Bank is part and parcel of its settlement enterprise, and perpetuates land theft, annexation, and the systematic violation of Palestinian rights.

The Peace Now report finds:

Over 37% of the development budget, nearly 350 million shekels, was allocated to projects associated with the right-wing and settler organization of Elad, operating in Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem.
84.3% of the investments in Jerusalem went to the Elad settler organization.
In the settlements (excluding East Jerusalem), approximately 70% of the funds submitted for approval to the Ministry of Tourism were approved, while in Israel, only 20% were approved.

For a detailed examination of the projects Levin invested in, please see Peace Now’s report.

Bonus Reads

“Smotrich Takes to PR to Publicize Israeli Demolitions of Palestinian Structures in West Bank” (Haaretz)
“Settlers Killing Palestinians: A History of Impunity” (Haaretz)
“Palestinians blame settler attacks for emptying of 3 West Bank villages” (The Times of Israel)
“Palestinian fears grow amid rising Israeli settler attacks” (BBC)

August 23, 2023

Israeli Government Leaders & Settlers Prep Plans to “Intensify” Settlement Construction in Wake of Deadly Shootings

“Smotrich to present Judea and Samaria expansion plan” (Ynet). Excerpt: “Smotrich, who oversees civilian issues in Judea and Samaria as a minister in the Defense Ministry, sent a letter to government ministers notifying them of his intention to present the plan at the next meeting of the full Cabinet. The two-year program to expand development in Judea and Samaria is projected to cost around 700 million shekels ($185 million), and according to estimates that figure could rise to 1 billion shekels ($265 million).”
“Settlers present plan to increase West Bank population to 1 million by 2050” (Ynet). Excerpt: “An ambitious plan to reach a population of 1 million Jewish settlers on the West Bank, was presented to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and includes the establishment of new cities, industrial parks, a hospital and an airport. The plan was devised by Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan that now serves 170,000 Jewish residents…Train lines will connect the West Bank to central and northern Israel and an airport would be built. The authors of the plan said a new hospital would be built, to serve the growing population of settlers as well as new industrial zones to provide employment.”
“IDF, defense heads meet settlers to smooth over terror wave tensions” (Ynet). Excerpt: “Gallant said he was committed to strengthening the settlement enterprise and presented the ministry’s latest efforts to the local officials in terms of widening roads to reduce traffic in dangerous areas as well as to increase bullet-proof shielding for student transport vehicles.” Also see: “Gallant thanks settler mayors for ‘complete support’ amid attacks on IDF brass” (The Times of Israel)

Israel Passes 5-Year Plan & $850 Million Budget for East Jerusalem Development

Ir Amim statement: “East Jerusalem has been neglected for over 50 years and it is important that the government has decided to continue allocating resources towards reducing the severe economic and social disparities that plague it’s Palestinian communities as a result of its longstanding neglect. Parts of the new decision still include political elements that aggressively advanced Israeli sovereignty, but it is also evident that attention was paid to construction feedback from professionals in drafting the updated plan. Specifically, the addition of a reference to residents’ existential need for “urban planning and residential development’ as well as proper investment in areas such as ‘Community Culture and Leisure’ and ‘Local Initiatives’ is significant. Alongside such sections, it is disturbing to see the government’s concession to Bezalel Smotrich, the Minister of Finance, and subsequent removal of the higher education chapter, as well as the addition of personal security elements pushed by Minister of National Security Ben Gvir, which grants the state more tools to increase the invasive monitoring and surveillance of East Jerusalem’s residents. Jerusalem has long stood between these two conflicting trends; one of which has the potential to intensify the forceful tactics that have torn the city apart, and the other – supporting a city that longs for a reduction of disparities and a life of dignity for the two peoples for whom Jerusalem is home.”
“Cabinet okays $843m development plan for East Jerusalem, while other funds withheld” (The Times of Israel)
“Israel No Longer Ignores East Jerusalem, but It’s Avoiding the Hard Questions” (Haaretz)

Settlement Expansion, Settler Violence

“Exclusive: Plan to extend security barrier in southern Judea moves forward” (Israel Hayom)
“Israel settlers attack Palestinians, property in West Bank” (Ynet)
“Israeli forces raid Palestinian towns as settlers call for ‘burning’ of Huwwara” (Middle East Eye)
“West Bank Dispatch (Aug 18-21): Two ‘lone wolf’ operations in two days” (Mondoweiss)

News from/about the U.S.

“US alarmed by Israeli demolition of Palestinian school in West Bank” (The Times of Israel)
“U.S. opposes Israeli plan to allot billions to settlements” (Ynet)
“Meeting settler leader, Eric Adams talks cooperation between NYC and the settlements” (The Times of Israel)

Bonus Reads/Listens

PODCAST: “Hebron (Al-Khalil) Through Palestinian Eyes” (FMEP non-Resident Fellow Rabea Eghbariah in conversation with Abdullah, a tour guide from Hebron).
“Youth of Sumud: Masafer Yatta on the frontline of Israeli apartheid and erasure” (The New Arab)

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

To subscribe to this report, please click here.

August 17, 2023

New Petition Filed Against Israel Moves to “Legalize” the Homesh Outpost
Israel Massively Expanding Size of Outposts As Part of “Legalization” Process
Israel to Allocate $180million to Settlements & Outposts
Smotrich Orders Outpost Evacuation
Emboldened Settlers Attack Village of Burqa, Murder Palestinian Teen
Bonus Reads

New Petition Filed Against Israel Moves to “Legalize” the Homesh Outpost

Palestinian landowners have filed a new petition with the Israeli High Court of Justice against the legalization of the Homesh outpost on a small sliver of state land surrounded by privately owned Palestinian land. The petition, which was filed in cooperation with the Israeli NGO Yesh Din, comes two weeks after another petition seeking the removal of the outpost was dismissed by the Israeli court. The State has been ordered to submit an initial response by mid-September.

The new challenge asks the Court to reverse the State’s recent transfer of the small amount of state land to the settler regional council for the establishment of the settlement. Instead, the petitioners call for the State to allocate the land for the benefit of Palestinians from the nearby village of Burqa. The request cites the severe discrimination against Palestinians in how the State allocates West Bank land. The petition further argues that, if the Homesh outpost were legalized as an official settlement, it would perpetuate the violation of Palestinians’ property rights and freedom of movement given that the land is surrounded by privately owned Palestinian land. Undoubtedly, Palestinians would be prevented from accessing that land should the settlement remain.

Yesh Din said in a statement:

“The allocation of land to the Samaria Regional Council for the sake of establishing a new settlement deepens the continuation of systemic and blatant discrimination in the allocation of public lands in the West Bank. Less than one percent (! ) From the public lands were allocated for the benefit of the Palestinian public, while 99% were allocated to the settlements factory.

In this case, the purpose of the allocation is to promote political interest of a political level that cannot be part of the considerations of the military commander both according to international law and according to the High Court ruling. And in the specific context, the decision to allocate the land specifically to the Samaria Regional Council – in light of its many years involvement in breaking the law in the region – is unreasonable and in terms of awarding a prize specifically to the factors behind the violation. It even contradicts the authority and the main duty of the military commander to preserve and promote public order.”

As a reminder – Homesh was built on lands historically belonging to the Palestinian village of Burqa. The land was never returned to its Palestinian owners even after the settlement was dismantled in 2005. The legalization of the Homesh yeshiva – which was built illegally by settlers in the area where the Homesh settlement once stood – was explicitly agreed to in the coalition deals which formed the current Israeli government. On May 18, 2023 the IDF Commander signed a military order that finalized the Knesset’s recent repeal of key sections of the 2005 Disengagement Law, allowing Israelis to legally enter the area in the northern West Bank where the Homesh settlement stood before it was dismantled. In parallel, the Israeli Defense Minister announced that the government plans to relocate the Homesh outpost from its current location on land that Israeli courts have recognized as private Palestinian property, to a small plot of nearby “state land.” Settlers quickly rebuilt the yeshiva on the “state land” and the new outpost was soon connected to the State water grid.

Israel Massively Expanding Size of Outposts As Part of “Legalization” Process

As part of the process of granting retroactive legalization to the outposts of Asa’el and Avigail (both located in the South Hebron Hills), the IDF recently published new maps of the proposed jurisdiction of the new settlements, showing that the government is planning to massively expand the new settlements’ boundaries. The Israel government approved the outposts for retroactive legalization, along with eight others, in February 2023. Now that the maps have been published, the public has 21 days to submit objections to the plans.

The Israeli non-profit Kerem Navot reports that the proposed new boundary of the Asa’el settlement is eighteen times larger than the outpost. The boundary of the Avigail settlement is nearly three times the size of the outpost. The Avigail outpost is located in Firing Zone 918 in the South Hebron Hills. This is the same firing zone that is home to the Palestinian communities of Masafer Yatta — whose existence pre-dates Israel’s declaration of the area as a firing zone. Those communities are today in the process of being ethnically cleansed by Israel.

Both Avigail and Asael have, illegally, built access roads on privately owned Palestinian land. Legalization of the outposts will undoubtedly also include the theft of the Palestinian-owned land these roads were illegally built on.

Israel to Allocate $180million to Settlements & Outposts

According to news reports, the Israeli government will soon vote to allocate an additional $180million (NIS 670 million) in the 2023-2024 state budget to settlements, including over $7 million (NIS 27.6 million) specifically for improving infrastructure in unauthorized outposts. The effort is being led by Finance Minister and minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich aligned with Settlements Minister Orit Strock. Ynet reports that the new funding calls for the conversion of five IDF bases in the West Bank to be converted into new settlements or industrial zones.

Peace Now reports further details of the budget:

$25 million (NIS 95 million) allocated directly to the World Zionist Organization’s Settlement Division. As a reminder, the Settlement Division is a body within the WZO established in 1971 and fully funded by the Israeli government. Its mission was, and remains, to provide a channel by which the government can establish settlements – legally and illegally – in the occupied territories, while avoiding the pesky rules, regulations, and transparency requirements to which government entities are bound. The Israel government assigned management responsibilities to the WZO for over 60% of the land in the West Bank which the government declared to be “state land” (90,000 acres/400,000 dumans). The WZO has given that land to settlers to build settlements and secretly funnel government money to illegal outposts.
$13 million (NIS 50 million) for encouraging Israeli Jewish citizens to move to settlements
$3.6 million (NIS 13.7 million) for developing West Bank archaeological tourism sites, which comes in addition to the May 2023 invest of $9 million into these sites.
$11.9 million (NIS 45 million) for the establishment of a new hospital.
$15 million (NIS 57 million) for encouraging Israelis and others to move to the settlements.

The budget for these investments is being taken from the budgets of domestic programs.

Peace Now said in a statement:

“The Government of Israel is exerting all its power and the budget at its disposal to support one specific sector at the expense of the entire public. The allocation of 700 million NIS by the current government decision is evidence of the public officials’ shamelessness in prioritizing the interests of a small group living in occupied territory over the broader Israeli society. Instead of investing in Israel’s future, the Israeli government is pouring money into settlements, perpetuating the occupation, and fueling the conflict and confrontation with the Palestinians.”

Smotrich Orders Outpost Evacuation

On August 14th, on the orders of Bezalel Smotrich the IDF dismantled five buildings in an illegal outpost called “Aira Shahar“, from lands located east of Ramallah. The outpost remains on the land, with at least 15 structures allowed to remain. In explaining the demolition of the five buildings, Smotrich stressed that he attempted to negotiate the relocation of the buildings from lands recognized as privately owned Palestinian land to nearby state land. But settlers did not agree, and even attempted to stop the security forces from demolitioning the buildings by burning tires and scattering spikes on the access road.

Smotrich took heavy criticism from members of his own parties and the settlers who he serves. In his defense, Smotrich said:

“We are talking about several new buildings that were erected on regulated and private lands that belong to Arabs. We really want to settle anywhere in the Land of Israel, but there are laws and restrictions. We are doing things that have not been done for many years.”

Bonus Reads

“Samaria farms open to public touring for the first time” (Arutz Sheva)
“6 Things to Remember When Covering Israeli Settler Violence“ (IMEU)
“West Bank: Entire Palestinian communities disappeared due to Israeli settler violence” (Norwegian Refugee Council)
“Settlements Are the Engine of Israel’s ‘Forever Occupation’—and a War Crime” (Michael Lynk for DAWN)
“The settlers wanted supreme power. They got a rebellion instead” (Meron Rapoport for +972 Magazine)
“Palestinian Family Evicted From East Jerusalem Home Ordered to Pay for Own Eviction” (Haaretz)
“‘Israel wanted a silent, perfect victim. We refused’” (+972 Magazine)
“Ex-Israeli General Says Army Partner in West Bank War Crimes, Invokes Nazi Germany” (Haaretz)
“Israeli Court Orders Release of Settler Suspected of Killing Palestinian in West Bank” (Haaretz)
“Israel Prevents Palestinians From Defending Themselves as It Empowers the Settlers” (Amira Hass for Haaretz)
“Radical Settlers Now Control the Israeli Government. This One Became a Left-wing Activist” (Haaretz)

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

To subscribe to this report, please click here.

August 10, 2023

Has Israel Annexed the West Bank?
Peace Now Data: Unprecedented Level of Settlement Growth in 2023
Israel Says It Will Freeze Part of Nof Zion Expansion Plan, Cites Environmental Concerns
Settler Violence Coerces Fourth Bedouin Community to Leave Area C Homelands, Handing More Territory to Settlers
Emboldened Settlers Attack Village of Burqa, Murder Palestinian Teen
Bonus Reads

Has Israel Annexed the West Bank?

Make sure to check out the latest episode of FMEP’s podcast, “Has Israel Annexed the West Bank,” featuring Shira Livne (Association for Civil Rights in Israel) and Kristin McCarthy (FMEP, and author of the Settlement Report!). The two discuss all things annexation, including: how is annexation related to the current judicial reforms? What has annexation looked like previous to the current government? How significant are the changes in governance that the current government has taken? Should we consider the West Bank, or just Area C, annexed?

Listen here.

Peace Now Data: Unprecedented Level of Settlement Growth in 2023

According to Peace Now data, the government of Israel has accelerated settlement growth in 2023 so much so that – only seven months into the year – it has broken several records. The data shows that in 2023, the government of Israel has:

Granted retroactive legalization to 22 outposts – making them new, authorized settlements, more than in any year previous.
Allowed the establishment of at least five new (illegal) outposts (not that settlers have attempted to establish many more. Peace Now reports that the IDF has evacuated more outposts this year than it did during an average year in the past, showing how emboldened settlers are acting in the current environment.
Issued tenders for 1,289 new settlement units – this is more than any year since the signing of the Oslo Accords.
Approved 12,855 new settlement units – more than in all of 2020 (12,000 settlement units approved).

Israel Says It Will Freeze Part of Nof Zion Expansion Plan, Cites Environmental Concerns

On August, the Israeli state informed the Jerusalem District Court that it has chosen to freeze a plan to relocated a police station from the Jabal al-Mukaber neighborhood, which was planned in order to allow the Nof Zion settlement enclave to expand onto the land where the current/old police station is located. According to the Times of Israel, the state said that it is negotiating with the Ramy Levy – an Israeli entrepreneur who owns the building rights for the land where the current police station is located (Levy owns an empire of settlement superstores) – to build a new police station as part of the massive expansion of the enclave.

The State said its decision was made in consideration of a petition against the new police station submitted by environmental groups concerned that the construction would destroy the area’s unique plant ecosystem. Notably, the Israeli NGO Ir Amim also filed a petition against the police station plan, arguing that it is an affront to the planning needs of the local community and that it represents a continuation of Israel’s systematic, city-wide discrimination against the housing, educational, and service-based needs of Palestinian neighborhoods.

Settler Violence Coerces Fourth Bedouin Community to Leave Area C Homelands, Handing More Territory to Settlers

On August 6th the al-Qaboun bedouin community was forcibly coerced by IDF harassment and settler violence to abandon their lands east of Ramallah, where they had lived since 1996. The community number 86 people, including 10 children. This is the fourth bedouin community in recent months that has been forced to leave their land because of Israeli pressure.

B’Tselem reports that settlers established an outpost near al-Qaboun in February 2023 and have since used violence, harassment, and intimidation to take control of the village’s grazing lands – denying the people their livelihood. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights further reports that the IDF closed all roads leading to the village.

B’Tselem states:

“Al-Qabun is the fourth community in the area that has had to flee due to Israeli policies, which force impossible conditions on local residents in order to push them to leave, thus clearing the way for it to take over their lands and transfer them to Jewish hands. These policies include banning residential and infrastructure construction, including water, electricity and roads; establishing and financially supporting settlements on Palestinian lands; and violent attacks by settlers on an almost daily basis. All of these are aimed at upholding, preserving and empowering Jewish supremacy.”

Emboldened Settlers Attack Village of Burqa, Murder Palestinian Teen

On the evening of August 4th, 40-50 armed settlers associated with the Oz Zion outpost attacked the Palestinian village of Burqa – the village that continues to protest the Homesh outpost, which was built on its land. Settlers claim they were “just” grazing their sheep, but they came armed with M-16s, clubs, and pistols, and evidence found near two two cars that had been set on fire suggest the settlers came to commit arson. As settlers came within 250 meters of homes in the village, two settlers arrived in a car and fired indiscriminately towards a group of Palestinians, killing 19-year-old Palestinian Qosai Jammal Mi’tan and injuring several others.

It’s worth noting that the Oz Zion outpost has been, in the past, repeatedly evacuated by the IDF. Earlier this year, as is his purview as a minister with the Defense Ministry charged with civilian affairs in Area C, Bezalel Smotrich shielded Oz Tzion from being evacuated again.

Two settlers were arrested for involvement, one of which was quickly released to house arrest while the other remained in custody as the primary suspect in firing the deadly shot. The settler who was released despite involvement in the shooting, Elisha Yared, is well known for his violent, extremist views, having previously served as a spokesman for the MK Limor Son Har-Melech (Otzma Yehudit) – and articulated his support for collective punishment in a recent interview with Israel Hayom.

In an absolutely absurd display of the government’s unapologetic support for Jewish terrorism, Secruty Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir criticized media coverage of the settler’s arrest, saying “A Jew who defends himself and others from murder by Palestinians is not a murder suspect, but a hero who will get full backing from me.”Separately, two Knesset members (Zvi Sukkot and X) were given permission by Israeli police to visit Yared in the hospital, celebrating him as a hero. In response, a senior Israeli security source told Al-Monitor:

“This is incredibly outrageous…This is a meeting that could easily lead to evidence tampering and disrupt the police investigation. There was no reason to approve it. This is part of the anarchy that is taking over the rule of law system in Israel.”

Elisha Yared lives in the illegal Ramat Migron outpost, an outpost which has been repeatedly demolished by the IDF.

Five Palestinians were also arrested for throwing stones at the invading settlers. All were released after several days in custody.The Palestinian Center for Human Rights reports that so far this year, “settlers have conducted at least 293 attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property. As a result, 9 Palestinians were killed, and dozens of others were injured; most of them due to being beaten and thrown with stones. Also, dozens of houses, vehicles and civilian facilities were set ablaze.”

Haaretz journalist Neri Zelber reported that the Israel Army Radio received data from the IDF showing that the first six months of 2023 as already seen more settler attacks than in the entire 2022 year. The IDF data counts 25 terrorist attacks and 680 clashes.

Bonus Reads

“The Civil Administration acknowledges extreme discrimination in building permits and law enforcement between Palestinians and settlers” (Peace Now)
“Armed With an M16 and Jewish Privilege, This Settler Makes Palestinians’ Lives Hell” (Haaretz)
“Extremist Israeli Settlers Aren’t Innocent Shepherds. They Are Thirsty for a Provocation” (Haaretz)
“Netanyahu in Golan: ‘Territory that will forever remain under Israeli sovereignty’” (Arutz Sheva)

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

To subscribe to this report, please click here.

August 4, 2023

High Court Dismisses Petition Against Homesh Outpost
Israel to Advance More East Jerusalem Settlement Construction
Israeli Government Funding “Red Heifer” Project that Will Obliterate Temple Mount Status Quo
Yesh Din Makes Legal Case That Israel’s Occupation Has Lost Any Veneer of Temporality
Bonus Reads

High Court Dismisses Petition Against Homesh Outpost

On August 2nd, the Israeli High Court dismissed a petition seeking the removal of the Homesh outpost and the return of the land to its Palestinian owners. The Court decided that the settlers’ relocation of the illegal outpost to a small sliver of nearby land that Israel considers to be “state land” has negated the basis for the petition to remove the outpost’s buildings from privately owned Palestinian land. This decision ignores the fact that the access road to the relocated outpost goes through privately owned Palestinian land, and the IDF protection of the Homesh outpost continues to deny Palestinian land owners access to their land.

Nasser Hijja, a village council member of Burqa – the Palestinian village which has historically owned the land on which Homesh settlement was built – told Reuters:

“This settlement is a nightmare for the residents of Burqa…[Israel] does not want any Palestinian presence on this land,” said Hijja.

Yesh Din, the Israeli human rights group which assisted Palestinian landowners in filing the petition, said in response:

“While Israelis everywhere are fighting to protect our High Court as a symbol of democracy, the justices yesterday have clearly reaffirmed what we already know: Palestinians in the West Bank are undeserving of protection under the law. This disgraceful ruling is yet another testament to the apartheid regime in the West Bank, which is being further entrenched every day and which the High Court has grown comfortable with normalizing.”

The Court’s rejection of the petition is yet another step towards granting retroactive legalization to the Homesh yeshiva, which settlers established in contravention of Israeli law on land that Israel had previously recognized as privately owned Palestinian land. The current Israeli government agreed to re-establish the Homesh settlement (which the government dismantled in 2005) as a matter of its founding coalition deals. Earlier this year, the Knesset repealed parts of the 2005 Disengagement Law in order to advance the Homesh project, and after the settlers moved the Homesh yeshiva’s buildings to a small sliver of “state land,” the government connected the outpost to water service.

Israel to Advance More East Jerusalem Settlement Construction

Peace Now reports that the Jerusalem District Planning Committee is scheduled to convene on August 7th and is expected to advance a number of East Jerusalem settlement plans, including:

Nof Zion/”Nof Zahav” settlement enclave – a plan for 100 settlement units and two hotels (550 rooms total), located in the heart of the Palestinian neighborhood Jabal al-Mukaber. The construction projects are slated for the north eastern slope of the enclave in an area referred to by settlers as Nof Zahav. For more information, see FMEP’s previous reporting. At the upcoming meeting, the committee can decide to deposit this plan for public review.
Ramat Alon settlement – two plans for a total of 1,918 new settlement units will be discussed for deposit. The Ramat Alon settlement is located northern Jerusalem

Israeli Government Funding “Red Heifer” Project that Will Obliterate Temple Mount Status Quo

The Israeli NGO Ir Amim has uncovered documentation showing that the Israeli government has been involved in securing special breed of cow (“red heifers”) from the United States that are intended to be used in a ritual sacrifice, a ceremony which Jewish law requires to be performed prior to entering and/or rebuilding the Jewish temple on the Haram Al-Sharif/Temple Mount. Ir Amim explains, “The quest to find a ‘red heifer’ has been long considered a fringe endeavor, yet the discovery of government involvement in such an initiative requires serious attention.”

Five cows believed to fit the criteria for the ritual sacrifice were imported from the U.S. to Israel in 2022, an endeavor which required special permission from the Bennett/Lapid government because it is illegal under Israeli law to import livestock from the U.S.. If there was any doubt that the government of Israel is aware of and supports the religious agenda behind the importation of these special cows, those doubts should be dismissed when considering that the government allowed the cows to be imported without inserting a tracking chip into their ears, which under Jewish law would defile the bovine.

Ir Amim further reports that the Director General of the Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage attended and delivered a speech at the ceremony to welcome the cows’ arrival to Ben Gurion airport in September 2022. In the speech, it was revealed that the government funds the development of the ceremonial site intended to host the “red heifer ceremony.” The current government continues to support a scheme to build facilities for housing the cows at the Tel Shiloh archaeological site in the West Bank.

The project is being lead by the Temple Mount Movement and a U.S. Evangelical Christian group. The Temple Mount Movement used to be considered a radical, fringe interest group – which advocates for Jewish domination over the Holy Esplanade, the demolition of the Dome of the Rock, and for the Third Temple to be built. The U.S. evangelical group, Boneh Israel, was involved in sending the cows to Israel. Some evangelical Christians believe that the Messiah will return only after the “red heifer” ceremony kicks off the apocalypse.

The government’s involvement in such a scheme shows how flagrantly it disregards the status quo of the Temple Mount (for a more detailed explanation see here and listen here), and once again how what was once fringe is now official Israeli government policy. Case in point, a vocal supporter of the Temple Mount Movement, Amichai Eliyahu, serves as the Minister of Heritage and is active in advancing the Tel Shiloh project to house the cows. This week Eliyahu drew headlines for calling for the government to annex the entire West Bank, calling the “Green Line” fictitious.

For all the wild details of this story, see Ir Amim’s reporting.

Yesh Din Makes Legal Case That Israel’s Occupation Has Lost Any Veneer of Temporality

The Israeli NGO Yesh Din issued a new legal opinion arguing that the policies and practices of the Israeli government over the past 56 has transformed the legal status of its occupation, making it an illegal occupation that must be ended immediately. The paper analyzes key policies which demonstrate that Israel seeks to make its control of occupied Palestinian land permanent, most significantly through demographic engineering (the settlement enterprise), the creation of a nationality-based separation, both physically and legally, of individuals living in the occupied lands, and via the application of Israeli sovereignty.

The report’s summary reads:

“Throughout the 56 years of occupation, Israel pursued a policy aimed at demographically altering the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and physically and legally separating between the protected Palestinian civilians and Jewish-Israeli settlers, all of this while belligerently and unilaterally asserting Israeli sovereignty over the territory. The cumulative effect of these policies is the perpetuation of Israeli control and the subversion of its temporary nature.

Additionally, the nature of the regime in the West Bank as described above, which is a “regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other racial group,” and many actions taken by the Israeli authorities constituting “inhumane acts,” according to its meaning in international criminal law and taken with the aim of maintaining the aforementioned regime, lead to the conclusion that the crime of apartheid is being committed in the West Bank.

The opinion asserts that the fact that successive Israeli governments and authorities have abused the powers granted to them by the laws of occupation in order to violate the rights of the protected persons and exploit the occupied territory, attaching it to sovereign Israel with the tentacles of annexation renders the Israeli occupation of the West Bank an illegal occupation, i.e., control the occupier has an obligation to end immediately, and which the international community must take steps to immediately terminate.”

Bonus Reads

“Annexation in the name of archeology” (+972 Magazine)
“Israeli Soldiers Remove Palestinians, Permit Settlers at West Bank Well” (Haaretz)
“Kafkaesque Rules Keep East Jerusalem Residents Away From Work” (Haaretz)
“Israeli Settlers Break Into Palestinian Homes Accompanied by Soldiers” (Haaretz)
“While Israelis were in the streets, Smotrich unveiled his annexation plans” (+972 Magazine)
“Settlers and Protesters Have an Unusual Encounter in Illegal Outpost in Northern Israel” (Haaretz)
“UN agency reports nearly 600 settler attacks over past six months” (The Times of Israel)

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

To subscribe to this report, please click here.

July 21, 2023

“Dizzying” East Jerusalem Settlement Activity Continues: Israel Approves Givat Hamatos Building Permits & Schedules Discussion to Double Its Size
Israel Expands West Bank Annexation via Archaeology, Including Construction of 4-7 New Settler Tourism Sites
Smotrich Prepping Plans to Expand Campaign Against Palestinian Construction, With Aim to Expand Authority to Areas A & B
Israel Opens First High Tech Campus in “Silicon Wadi” East Jerusalem Project
Knesset Pushes Bill to Directly Fund Settlements
Another Palestinian Bedouin Community Coerced to Leave Homes By Settler & State Terrorism
In the Press: Bibi Denies Reports of “Settlement Freeze” Promise to Biden, Talks His Vision of Peace
Smotrich Claims Credit for U.S.-Israeli Tensions
Bonus Reads

“Dizzying” East Jerusalem Settlement Activity Continues: Israel Approves Givat Hamatos Building Permits & Schedules Discussion to Double Its Size

Ir Amim reports that Israel has continued its “dizzying pace” of settlement advancements in East Jerusalem, this week granting approval to four building permits for the yet-to-be-built Givat Hamatos settlement, and take an irregular step to advance a new plan – called “New Talpiot” – that would serve to massively expand the fully-approved plan for Givat Hamatos settlement.

The four building permits were issued on July 16th and will allow the foundation to be laid for several buildings in the Givat Hamatos settlement – which, if built, will be the first new settlement to be built in East Jerusalem in over two decades. The buildings (which will require separate building permits to be issued) will have a total of 900 units. The Israeli government has approved a plan to build a total of 2,610 settlement units in the Givat Hamatos settlement.

In addition, the Jerusalem District Planning Committee is set to convene on Monday, July 24th to discuss a plan referred to as “New Talpiot Hill” that will, if approved and constructed, expand double the number of housing units in the Givat Hamatos settlement and increase its land mass by 40%, stretching Givat Hamatos eastward towards the settlement of Har Homa. The Givat Hamatos A project is directly adjacent to the area of the New Talpiot Hill project. The plan provides for 3,500 new settlement units and 1,300 hotel rooms – the latter posing a direct competition to the Palestinian tourism industry in nearby Bethlehem. The plan also calls for five synagogues and two mikvehs, clearly showing that the construction is designed to serve Israeli Jews although the neighboring Palestinian communities are suffering an acute housing crisis.

Ir Amim further notes that Israel is carrying out land registration on plots of land implicated by the New Talpiot Hill plan, a process which Israel has weaponized as a tool of settlement expansion.

Ir Amim writes:

“Together, Givat Hamatos A and New Talpiyot Hill along with concurrent settlement advancements in the area are cumulatively sealing off East Jerusalem’s southern perimeter from Bethlehem and the southern West Bank. These measures likewise further fracture the Palestinian space and deplete all remaining land reserves in the area for Palestinian development. Such conditions severely undermine the prospects of an agreed political future of Jerusalem, while depriving Palestinians of their fundamental right to housing and shelter.”

Israel Expands West Bank Annexation via Archaeology, Including Construction of 6-7 New Settler Tourism Sites

On July 17th the Israeli government approved a three-year $33 million (NIS 120 million) plan to take control over archaeological sites throughout the West Bank, including plans to establish 4-7 new settlement tourist sites. The approval of this plan is the fulfillment of a commitment made in the government’s coalition deal, which called for

The plan has several alarming components, including:

Nearly $3million allocation of monitoring alleged antiquity destruction by PAlestinians and the Palestinian Authority, as well as for enforcement activities such as demolitioning Palestinian construction near antiquity sites.
The construction of 4-7 new tourist installments at archaeological sites throughout the West Bank – the first being a new site at the “Hasmonean Pools” near Jericho. On this, Peace Now explains:

“The Hasmonean Palaces are located in Area C, adjacent to the Palestinian city of Jericho, which mostly falls under Areas A and B. Currently, access to the site passes through Area A. Beyond the site development, the goal of the program is also to enable access and regulate the movement of Israeli visitors from Area C into the site itself. In the past, there have been reports of plans to build a bridge over Area A to allow Israelis to reach the site.”

The construction of a heritage center to showcase West Bank artifacts, with the possibility of building a new archaeological museum somewhere in the West Bank (location not determined).
Surveys and excavatations.

Emek Shaveh and Peace Now both note that this new $33 million project comes in addition to the $9 million dollars in funding that the government approved in May 2023 to develop and “renovate” the archaeological site of Sebastia, located near the Palestinian village of Sebastia, north of Nablus in the heart of the West Bank. The project includes plans to pave a new access road for Israelis to reach the site, which they currently have to access by traveling through the Palestinian village of Sebastia, which will increase and entrench Israeli control not only over the site itself but the surrounding area – effectively weaponizing archaeology as a tool for dispossession.

Emek Shaveh said in a statement:

“With Bezalel Smotrich responsible for the Civil Administration and Jewish Power in charge of the Ministry of Heritage, the archaeological sites are weaponized more than ever before as a means for justifying ‘touristic settlements’, significantly entrenching and expanding the occupation and have become a central component in the present government’s steps towards advancing annexation. Along with massive settlement expansions, settler violence and legislation, the development of heritage sites in the West Bank will give control over substantial public areas and transform the multi-layered historical character of the area beyond recognition.

Although the plan is titled “an emergency plan for protection of antiquities”, only 10 million NIS of a budget of 120 million NIS are actually earmarked for defending sites against antiquity theft. Most of the budget is allocated to acts that constitute de facto annexation of the West Bank in complete violation of international law and the Oslo Accords. It is quite clear that for the current government the plan is yet another component in its efforts to thwart any possibility for a two-state solution and establish a biblical theocracy. We call on the international community to hold the State of Israel accountable to its own commitments under the Oslo accords, to the Two States Solution and to international law.”

Peace Now said in a statement:

“The Israeli government continues to settle in the West Bank in every possible way and continues to strengthen the friction with the Palestinian population. Investing over 150 million NIS in new tourist settlements implies exploiting archaeology in the West Bank to promote settlements and adversely affect Palestinians. Instead of investing in archaeological and tourism sites within Israel, the Israeli government continues to prioritize the settler minority over millions of Israelis. Investing in new settlements under the guise of heritage in the West Bank is a divisive move that harms Palestinians, distances peace and the two-state solution, and also undermines Israel’s tourism potential.”

As background, in January 2021, the Israeli government committed funding to a new settler initiative to surveil archeological sites under Palestinian control. While the objective of protecting antiquities might appear uncontroversial and apolitical, the true (and transparently self-evident) objectives behind this effort are: to support yet another pretext to surveil and police Palestinians; to establish and exploit yet another means to dispossess Palestinians of their properties; to expand/deepen Israeli control across the West Bank; and to further entrench Israeli technical, bureaucratic and legal paradigms that treat the West Bank as sovereign Israeli territory. It is the result of a campaign that has taken place over the past year in which settlers have escalated their calls for the Israeli government to seize antiquities and “heritage sites” located in Palestinian communities across the West Bank, especially in Area C, which Israel today treats as functionally (and legally) indistinguishable from sovereign Israeli territory. Funding committed by Israel for West Bank “heritage sites” should be understood in this context

Smotrich Prepping Plans to Expand Campaign Against Palestinian Construction, With Aim to Expand Authority to Areas A & B

At a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Bezalel Smotrich revealed several plans that intensify and expand Israel’s annexation of the West Bank,, including plans to extend Israeli civilian operations – specifically the demolition of Palestinian construction – into Areas A & B.

Most drastically, Smotrich said that he is preparing a plan – expected to be approved within a month – that would allow him to direct the demolition of Palestinian buildings in Areas A & B which are determined to be a “security threat.” Smotrich told the Knesset that Israel’s ability to operate in Areas A & B are “key” to national security, and that he is working on plans to create a new unit within the Border Police which will be assigned specifically to construction law enforcement. This would be yet another advancement of Israel’s de facto annexation of the entire West Bank, which is increasingly focused not just on solidifying Israeli sovereignty over Area C but on Areas A & B as well. Haaretz notes that the Knesset Committee spent more time discussing Areas A & B than Area C. It should be noted that the Knesset Committee was convened to discuss what the Israeli government and the settlers believe to be “The Palestinian Authority’s takeover of open areas in Judea and Samaria” — a completely warped narrative of what is transpiring in the West Bank, where Israeli settlements are expanding while Palestinian are facing apartheid conditions. As admitted by an Army officer at the hearing, the Israeli military rejects 90-95% of Palestinian building requests while granting 60-70% of settler building requests

During a discussion of the Palestinian construction, Smotrich said his plan would also see Israel declare activities by Palestinian Authority to be a “foreign hostile activity,” which would prompt Israel to seize funds from the PA.

Smotrich also discussed two projects being prepared by the Jewish National Fund to plant trees on 2,500 acres of West Bank land. Smotrich talked about this tree-planting operation as a means of annexation, saying: “The [PA] actively works to seize lands. We need to do the same thing….[This means] legalization, construction, agriculture. “ This news comes the same week Israeli operated tractors were filmed uprooting Palestinian owned olive trees near the village of Tarkumiya.

As a reminder, in his role as a civilian minister in the Defense Ministry in charge of the Civil Administration, Smotrich is already empowered to order demolitions in Area C (powers which had previously been held by Israel’s military) — powers which he has wielded aggressively. As defined by the Oslo Accords, Areas A & B constitute 40% of the West Bank where the Palestinian Authority is assigned responsibility for civilian administration matters, like construction. Smotrich’s moves only underscore Israel’s erasure of any meaningful distinction between these areas, which has also been evidenced by routine military incursions into Nablus and Jenin, Israeli activity around antiquity sites under PA control, and more.

Israel Opens First High Tech Campus in “Silicon Wadi” East Jerusalem Project

The Times of Israel reports that Israel celebrated the opening of its inaugural high tech workspace that is part of the “Silicon Wadi” project, under which Israel aims to establish a major high-tech hub along the western side of East Jerusalem’s Wadi Joz neighborhood. While touted as a plan that will benefit Palestinians, its implementation has required the eviction of many Palestinian businesses in the area.

The new $2.8million (NIS 10 million) tech campus is a free workspace for Israeli and international high tech companies, and it has the capacity to host 250 workers with workstations, meeting spaces, and other available services. Four companies have already began working out of the new building.

You can read Ir Amim’s in-depth reporting on the Silicon Wadi project here.

Knesset Pushes Bill to Directly Fund Settlements

The Israeli Knesset is advancing a bill that will allow Israel to transfer tax revenue to the settlements, therefore bringing the settlements under direct Israeli law (an act of de facto annexation, illegal under international law) and further subsidizing the settlement enterprise. Even though the Israeli government has funded settlements from the outset, it has not permitted tax revenue sharing and has typically tried to hide other direct lines of funding to the settlements through non profits and other intermediaries.

The Combatants for Peace told Haaretz:

“The Netanyahu government has already ceased even trying to hide the institutionalization of apartheid. MK Asher’s reckless bill is another way to transfer budgets and to support the settlement enterprise and perpetuate the oppression and dispossession of Palestinians. What they can’t get in through the door, they’re trying to get in through the window – the main thing is to keep building.”

Another Palestinian Bedouin Community Coerced to Leave Homes By Settler & State Terrorism

B’Tselem reports that the al-Baq’ah Palestinian bedouin village was forced to abandon its village lands located west of Hebron under daily violence inflicted upon it by nearby settler outposts, and decades of harassment by the Israeli state.

The village’s decision to leave comes less than one week after the IDF demolished a water cistern used by all six families living in al-Baq’ah for personal and agricultural work. The villages told B’Tselem researchers that they are fleeing the village in fear of their lives.

B’Tselem writes:

“Al-Baq’ah joins the nearby communities of Ras a-Tin and ‘Ein Samia, which have already been driven off their lands over the past year under the same circumstances: Israel’s policy creates oppressive, unreasonable living conditions that leave residents of these communities with no choice but to abandon them. Relying on more official means (settlement building, extreme restrictions on Palestinian construction, a prohibition on infrastructure and demolitions), and on less official ones (settler violence against Palestinians), the policy has one goal: taking over more and more Palestinian lands and handing them over to Jewish hands, and it is applied against other communities still living in the area. Forcible transfer is a war crime, even if the state perpetrates it not by forcing people onto trucks but by putting so much pressure on them that their lives become unbearable and they cannot help but leave their homes and lands.”

In the Press: Bibi Denies Reports of “Settlement Freeze” Promise to Biden, Talks His Vision of Peace

Axios reports that on a July 17th call, Netanyahu informed President Biden that he does not expect to advance any more settlement planning, construction, or outpost “legalization” through the end of the 2023 year. Netanyahu issued a statement denying these reports, however Haaretz reports that Netanyahu contradicted that statement during private briefings for members of his staff and foreign journalists.

Separately, in an interview with podcaster Lex Fridman, Netanyahu provided a fresh look at what his vision of a “peace” deal is, explicitly saying that no settlements or settlers (no matter their location) would be uprooted, and that settlers would remain under Israeli sovereignty. He went on to reject Palestinian sovereignty.

Smotrich Claims Credit for U.S.-Israeli Tensions

In an interview with the settler-allied Arutz Sheva outlet (aka Israel National News), Smotrich made a few eye-opening remarks on his policies and motivations, saying:

“Our mission first and foremost is to provide security to the citizens of Israel in the settlements and all over the country. When we talk about the fight against terrorism there are two legs: the first is the development of the settlements and strengthening our grip on the territories of the Land of Israel. After all, terrorism is designed to weaken our grip – and our true answer that will eradicate it and make terrorism futile – will be further construction. When you look at Judea and Samaria, this government is building, regulating, developing, both in construction and in infrastructure on an unprecedented scale….quite a lot of the tensions that exist between the American administration and the Israeli government – and these are tensions between friends and partners and we manage these disputes with respect – stem from the policy that I am leading as a minister in the Ministry of Defense in the settlements with the full backing of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense.”

Bonus Reads

“How settlers justify their pogroms” (Shabtay Bendet in +972 Magazine)
“I was handcuffed and blindfolded for reporting on settler violence” (Basel Adra in +972 Magazine)
“‘The escalation is frightening’: Jerusalem Christians fear for their future“ (+972 Magazine)
“Israeli Soldiers Protect the Settlers, Then Attack Us Activists” (Illana Hammerman in Haaretz)

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

To subscribe to this report, please click here.

July 14, 2023

Settlers Move In After Israel Forcibly Evicts Ghaith-Sub Laban Family
Israel Starts Planning New East Jerusalem Settlement Enclave Via Weaponization of the Land Registration Process
Settlers Takeover Another Palestinian Home on Shuhada Street in Hebron, Potentially with IDF Help
Settlers Lead State-Backed Archaeological “Excavation” in Area B
Government Admits it Deliberately Permitted Illegal Construction at Homesh Outpost
Bonus Reads

Settlers Move In After Israel Forcibly Evicts Ghaith-Sub Laban Family

On the early morning of July 11th, a large contingent of Israeli police arrived at the home of Nora Ghaith and Mustafa Sub Laban to forcibly remove the elderly couple from their apartment in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The apartment was handed over to settlers, who moved in as soon as the Ghaith-Sub Labans were removed.

Twelve human rights activists were arrested by Israeli police during protests held in solidarity with the Gaith-Sub Laban family. The eviction was widely panned by the international community.

The Ghaith-Sub Laban family has spent more than 45 years in a legal battle against settlers (and the State) over their home in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. This family’s story is not unique, and the broader, systemic processes behind the forcible dispossession of Palestinians in Jerusalem is also discussed. In March 2023, FMEP hosted Rafat Sub Laban and Ir Amim’s Amy Cohen on a podcast – “‘We Are Determined to Stay”: One Palestinian Family’s Story of Dispossession in Jerusalem” – to discuss the Sub Laban case and how it relates to broader State-back settler efforts to dispossess Palestinians across Jerusalem.

Ir Amim explains the Israeli legal system which aids settlers in taking possession of Palestinian properties across East Jerusalem, including the Sub Laban home:

“… lawsuits were filed by settler groups on the basis of the 1970 Legal and Administrative Matters law. This discriminatory law exclusively affords Jews with land restitution rights for assets allegedly owned by Jews in East Jerusalem prior to 1948 despite many of these properties now inhabited by Palestinian refugees. No parallel legal mechanism exists for Palestinians to recover pre-1948 assets on the Israeli side of the Green Line now inhabited by Jews. To the contrary, the 1950 Absentee Property Law enshrines that Palestinians who were forced to abandon their homes in what became Israel due to the war of 1948 cannot retrieve them.

Settler organizations aided by state bodies act to secure ownership rights of these assets through various means despite having no relation to the previous Jewish owners or occupants. Acquisition of these rights provides settler groups with the legal platform to then “retrieve” the property from the General Custodian and initiate eviction lawsuits against Palestinian families through application of the 1970 law.

A department within the Ministry of Justice, the General Custodian is the Israeli body responsible for managing pre-1948 Jewish assets in East Jerusalem until “reclaimed.” It should be noted that the General Custodian has become one of the leading state institutions who works in cooperation with settler groups to facilitate evictions of Palestinians and seizure of their homes in East Jerusalem. Many of the families facing eviction are Palestinian refugees who lost homes on the Israeli side of the Green Line in 1948 and now stand to be displaced for a second or even third time.”

For a comprehensive overview of the Sub Laban family’s legal battle, as well as other East Jerusalem eviction cases, please see Ir Amim’s report.

Israel Starts Planning New East Jerusalem Settlement Enclave Via Weaponization of the Land Registration Process

Ir Amim and Bimkom report that Israel has initiated the planning process on a new settlement enclave in the Umm Lysoon neighborhood in East Jerusalem, and in order to facilitate the new enclave the State is simultaneously carrying out land registration for the land where the enclave will be built. The plans for the settlement enclave call for the construction of 450 settlement units, on an open piece of land between Umm Lysoon and the adjacent neighborhood of Jabal Mukkhaber, one of the only open land reserves in the area where Palestinians face a severe housing Crisis. Unsurprisingly, some of the same settlers who are pushing the Umm Lysoon plan not only live in Jabal Al-Mukaver, but have already succeeded in massively expanding the Nof Zion/Nof Zahaf settler enclave in that neighborhood.

The plan for the new Umm Lysoon enclave hinges on the settlers’ work with the State to transfer ownership of the land into the hands of settlers using the land registration process – – which Ir Amim and Bimkom have shown to be a politically-driven tool used by the State to fuel the expansion of settlements across the city.

The land where the new enclave is being planned for has been managed by the Israeli Custodian General, the State body which acts as a caretaker for property abandoned by Israeli Jews as a result of the 1948 war, with the idea that the property will be returned to its original owners. Settlers have worked with the state to secure ownership rights to East Jerusalem land despite having no relation to the previous Jewish owners. Such is the case with the Umm Lysoon land, where the Israeli Custodian General is submitting the plans (even though it does not own the land, just manages it) for the new enclave alongside Topodia LTD, a settler-linked construction company. Topodia managed to acquire ownership of a very small percentage of the land within the enclaves planned borders, but the planning requires the willing participation of the Israeli Custodian General.

The plan for Umm Lysoon is the third settlement plan in the last 1.5 years that has been promoted not only on lands managed by the General Custodian, but also with its direct involvement – the others being the Givat HaShaked and Kidmat Zion settlement plans.

Ir Amim and Bimkom write:

“If constructed, it would constitute a major settlement within the heart of Umm Lysoon, which until now has remained untouched from the threat of setter presence or encroachment. As with other East Jerusalem neighborhoods, Umm Lysoon continues to suffer from a severe shortage in housing, public buildings, infrastructure, and basic services. Instead of promoting residential development and urban planning to meet the needs of local residents, the plan is rather being advanced to establish a new Jewish settlement inside a Palestinian neighborhood on land marked in policy documents for the community’s development.”

Settlers Takeover Another Palestinian Home on Shuhada Street in Hebron, Potentially with IDF Help

Peace Now reports that settlers have illegally moved into a Palestinian-owned property in the heart of Hebron on Shuhada Street, just south of the Cave of the Patriarchs, in an area of downtown Hebron where no other Israeli settlers live. The settlers appear to have accessed the home, which until recently was blockaded by concrete barriers, with the assistance of the IDF and further claim to have purchased the home. This location – and the alleged purchase of the home – is hugely significant both on the ground and in the Israeli government’s brazen support facilitation of settlement expansion, as explained by Peace Now:

“Hebron is perhaps the most scattered city in the West Bank. Any change in ownership of a store, courtyard, and especially a structure means establishing a new settlement in the city. Many houses and properties in the part of the city controlled by Israel have remained vacant and abandoned over the past decades and serve as a target for settlers’ takeover. Until recently, approvals for the settlement of new houses by the settlers required the approval of the Minister of Defense and the Prime Minister. As part of the transfer of civilian authority to Bezalel Smotrich, it was decided that in Hebron, the approval of settlement would be in the hands of Smotrich in coordination with Minister Yoav Gallant. The settlers’ entry into the house openly indicates that both ministers agreed to establish the new settlement. The new settlement is located on Shuhada Street (the settlers changed its name to King David Street), between the Pool of Siloam and the neighborhood of Avraham Avinu. This is an area populated by Palestinians and far from the existing settlements in the city. The new settlement is, in fact, an entry into a new area in the city.”

Years ago, the IDF installed concrete barriers preventing anyone from accessing the house, and evicted settlers from the home last year when they used a ladder to climb over the barriers. Those concrete barriers were recently removed (which can only be done with heavy equipment), suggesting that the IDF is planed to allow the settlers to enter (and likely remain) in the house.

The home is owned by the Palestinian Jariwi family, which petitioned the Israeli High Court of Justice to evict the settlers. The state initially responded to the petition saying that the settlers had already been evicted (clearly not true), and the State is now facing a July 30th deadline with the Court to submit an updated response given that the settlers are still squatting in the house illegally.

Photo of the new enclave found at: https://peacenow.org.il/en/a-new-settlement-was-established-in-hebron-with-the-return-of-settlers-to-a-house-that-the-idf-evicted-a-year-ago

Settlers Lead State-Backed Archaeological “Excavation” in Area B

Emek Shaveh reports that a triad composed of settlers, an American Christian evangelical organization, and the Israeli army collaborated on a recent unlicensed excavation on Mount Ebal – located north of Nablus near the Palestinian town of a-Sira al-Shaliya in Area B of the West Bank (where Israel does not have civilian authorities, according to the Oslo Accords). The excavation was approved by the Israeli Civil Administration under pressure from settlers, but given the location of the site in Area B and the lack of any license to carry out the excavation – Emek Shaveh states that this could be considered antiquity theft.

The groups transferred some 80 cubic meters of soil from Mount Ebal to the Shavei Shomron settlement, where settlers then promoted an opportunity for members of the public to join the archaeologists in sifting through the materials (thereby promoting tourism to the settlements). Haaretz called the excavation “is mainly used as a tourist attraction to the West Bank and is of little scientific significance.”

Emek Shaveh’s explained the significance of what is happening on Mount Ebal:

“The archaeological site at Mount Ebal is becoming a watershed in Israeli archaeology. The activity on the site has turned from a pirate operation led by a group of Messianic Jews and Christians into a state sponsored operation under the auspices of the Civil Administration led by Minister Bezalel Smotrich.This is yet another violation of the Oslo Accords and suspected violation of domestic and international law that is whitewashed by Israeli authorities and intended to serve as a method for advancing the annexation of the West Bank to Israel.In addition to the alleged violation of the law, the excavation constitutes an ethical failure by the entire archaeological community in Israel whose silence continues to grant legitimacy to such projects. A comprehensive and immediate investigation is required by all the relevant parties as well as independently by the Israeli Archaeological Association.”

Government Admits it Deliberately Permitted Illegal Construction at Homesh Outpost

In response to a petition submitted by Yesh Din, the Israel state formally confirmed reports Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered the Israeli army to stand down when it arrived in May 2023 to stop settlers’ attempt to relocated the Homesh outpost onto a small sliver of “state land” in the area of the former Homesh settlement in the northern West Bank. Gallant’s intervention only served to confirm the unapologetic determination of the Israeli government to reestablish the Homesh settlement on the “state land,” despite the fact that the land is surrounded by privately owned Palestinian property belonging to the nearby village of Burqa. (spoiler: In 2018, Israel established basis in its legal books for violating the private property rights of Palestinians in order to build an access road to the Haresha outpost).

In the weeks since settlers were permitted to illegally move into the area, the outpost has been connected to the state water grid.

On July 7th, a group of ~400 Israeli, Palestinian, and international activists attended a Peace Now protest march intended to start in Burqa and end at the Homesh outpost, in an effort to call on the government of Israel to stop the establishment of a settlement there. Though the marchers had requested and received a permit to hold the march, the IDF used force to stop the march from approaching Burqa. One marcher was detained and later released.

As a reminder – the legalization of Homesh was explicitly agreed to in the coalition deals which formed the current Israeli government. And despite the message to the U.S. behind closed doors, Israeli lawmakers and settler leaders hailed the Israeli government’s moves on Homesh as concrete steps toward the realization of this commitment. Otzma Yehudit MK and settlement activist Limor Son Har Melech hailed the news and said that the real goal is to reestablish all four settlements located near the Homesh outpost which were dismantled by the Israeli government in 2005 (the order issued by the IDF Commander on May 18th that allows Israelis to enter to the Homesh area did not extend to the areas of the other three settlements – Sa-Nur, Ganim, and Kadim).

Bonus Reads

“Four Palestinians said wounded in settler attack in West Bank” (The Times of Israel)
“Smotrich wants one million West Bank settlers. That’s not so far-fetched” (+972 Magazine)
“Senate Foreign Relations Committee set for debate over Biden guidance on Israeli cooperative funding” (Jewish Insider)
“Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory – Weekly Update: 06-12 July 2023” (PCHR)

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

To subscribe to this report, please click here.

July 6, 2023

Israel Advances Plans for 5,700 New Settlement Units, Making 2023 (after just 6 months) A Record Year for Settlement Growth
No Surprise – Settlers Get Away with More Illegal Construction Under Smotrich
UN Updates Database of Companies Doing Business in the Settlements
Peace Now Report on Effect of Smotrich’s “Settlement Administration”
Who Profits Documents Role of Israeli National Water Company in Perpetuating Occupation
Bonus Reads

Knesset Members Establish “Jordan Valley Sovereignty Lobby”

Settlers continue to build on their campaign to annex the Jordan Valley. At an event held at the Knesset on June 28th, a group of Israeli lawmakers launched the “Jordan Valley Sovereignty” lobby, aimed at passing legislation during the current Knesset term that will annex the Jordan Valley to Israel. Three ministers participated in the event, Minister of Agriculture Avi Dichter, Minister of Settlement and National Mission Orit Struk, and Minister of the Negev and Galilee and National Resilience Yitzhak Wasserlauf. The effort was encouraged on by the head of the World Zionist Organization, Yaakov Hagoel, who said: “We need to implement sovereignty…the sooner the better,”

The group, led by MKs Dan Illouz (Likud) and Yossi Taieb (Shas), presented a plan for annexation written by Kobi Eliraz and Atty. Eran Ben-Ari. No details of the plan have been reported. Eliraz previously served as an adviser on settlement affairs to the Israeli Defense Minister from 2015-2019, but was fired by Prime Minister Netanayhu, a move which upset settlers who broadly respected and trusted Eliraz to advance their agenda.

Minister of Settlement and National Missions Orit Struk said at the event:

“Our government is doing a great deal to develop the Jordan Valley in many areas, but our goal, ultimately, is sovereignty over the Jordan Valley, and this is anchored in the coalition agreements; it all depends on this lobby’s resolute action, and I trust you to act in such a way that they will set the wheel in motion so that it will be impossible not to apply sovereignty over the Jordan Valley. We will be here to support you and stand behind you so that you will succeed in this goal, G-d willing.”

Head of Jordan Valley Council David Elhayani said:

“In December 1981, the Begin government approved, in one day, in three readings in the plenum, the law applying Israel’s law and jurisdiction over the Golan Heights, when the government actually established sovereignty over the Golan Heights. The law passed with a majority of 63 members of the Knesset, eight of whom were members of the opposition. In today’s situation, I cannot help but wonder why this is not happening now. In the present government, there are 64 members of the Knesset from the Right; it is years since we have had such a right-wing government committed to its electorate. I tell you, do not miss this historic opportunity. Apply sovereignty over the Jordan Valley in the present Knesset. This is your duty.”

As a reminder, annexation of the Jordan Valley has, in the past, garnered serious effort from the Israeli government. During his 2019 campaign, Netanyahu announced that he would immediately annex the Jordan Valley if reelected, and presented an error-ridden map explaining how he would annex the area without annexing a single Palestinian. His plan called for the annexation of an area which constitutes nearly a quarter of the area of the West Bank (22.3%) where (at the time) 30 settlements and 18 outposts had been established. Peace Now estimated 20% of the targeted land (62,000 acres) is privately owned by Palestinians – a fact that Netanyahu did not even mention, much less explain how he would address. After being elected, Netanyahu faced international opposition to the plan, and in order to quiet the criticism while saving face with his base – Netanyahu formed an inter-ministerial task force dubbed the “Sovereignty Committee” to design a plan for the annexation of the Jordan Valley.

No Surprise – Settlers Get Away with More Illegal Construction Under Smotrich

Haaretz reports that ever since Bezalel Smotrich became responsible for civil affairs in the West Bank, the Israeli military has almost entirely abandoned its already paltry efforts to curtail illegal settlement construction. In 2022, Israeli authorities demolished an average of 25 buildings per month, but since February 2023 (when Smotrich took power), that figure dropped to just 2. The trend is hardly a surprise, given Smotrich’s long standing support for the outposts, and his open encouragement of granting retroactive legalization to every outpost (thereby rewarding illegal settler construction instead of punishing it) since taking office.

Since taking power, Smotrich has routinely also intervened on a number of occasions to prevent the IDF from carrying out outpost evacuations, most recently in the case of the outpost called HaMor. Haaretz reports Smotrich also intervened in several other cases in order to stop the IDF from evacuating and demolishing illegal settler construction, including:

In February 2023, Smotrich temporarily halted the evacuation of a vineyard near the settlement of Shiloh.
In May, Smotrich stopped the demolition of new illegal construction at the Adei-Ad outpost.
Also in May, the demolition of a structure that settlers built at the Ein Rashash spring in the Jordan Valley was stopped by Smotrich’s associates, a structure which was likely built by the settlers in an attempt to take over control of the spring from Palestinian shepherds.

An anonymous official in the Defense Ministry told Haaretz:

“For a while now, there has effectively been no Israeli enforcement. Once, enforcement was an internal IDF issue. Now almost everything gets sent to the Settlements Administration.”

As a reminder, in February 2023, Netanyahu reached a coalition deal to change the way Israel exercises authority over the West Bank. The new arrangement represents the extension of Israeli civilian/domestic authority over the entire West Bank. As such, it represents Israeli annexation of the West Bank, even without formal declaration of annexation. Specifically, authority in the West Bank will no longer be the hands of the Isareli Defense Minister, but is now split between Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (acting in his capacity as a “Minister in the Defense Ministry”). While the agreement takes pains to leave a tiny amount of power over West Bank civilian affairs with the Defense Minister in order to maintain a thin veneer of compliance with international law (the only authority left to Gallant with respect to “civilian” affairs will be to demolish illegal settler activity “in case of security and irregular events,” and even then, Smotrich must be given advance notice of any such demolition), in effect Smotrich is the new reigning sovereign over the West Bank via the newly established “Settlement Administration” within the Defense Ministry, which he appointed Yehuda Eliahu to lead (Eliahu and Smotrich co-founded the radical settler group Regavim) . This “Settlements Administration” enjoys virtually total autonomy and unchecked power, with almost no accountability to anyone in the Israeli Ministry of Defense (Gallant in principle can overrule Smotrich’s decisions but must put his reasoning in writing after first meeting with Smotrich to hear his case, and even then, Gallant cannot issue any order to overrule Smotrich). Importantly, the agreement allows Smotrich to systematically apply Israeli law over the settlements.

UN Updates Database of Companies Doing Business in the Settlements

On June 30th, the United Nations Office of the High Commission on Human Rights released an update to its 2020 database identifying businesses involved in building, maintaining, securing, and servicing Israeli settlements in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. The original database listed 112 companies found to be conducting business with Israeli settlements, the updated database removed 15 companies and did not add any new companies.

In a statement on the update, Al-Haq, Amnesty International, Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Human Rights Watch, and International Service for Human Rights said:

“…we welcome the fact that the Office of the High Commissioner has finally published an update on 30 June. We are heartened to see that, according to the report’s analysis, fifteen businesses may have ceased conducting reportable activity during the reporting period, though note that some companies may have adjusted their business structures to avoid falling within the definition of reportable activity. Indeed, this demonstrates the significant impact the database can have in encouraging and promoting compliance with international law. We are concerned, however, that the Office of the High Commissioner has not undertaken the work to identify new businesses that began, during the reporting period, to conduct reportable activity. Such a one-sided approach is not consistent with the mandate of providing a comprehensive update to the Council and runs the risk of being abused by business actors seeking to avoid listing.”

As a reminder, on February 12, 2020, following nearly four years of delay, the UNHRC published a (non-comprehensive) database of businesses involved in building, maintaining, securing, and servicing Israeli settlements in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. The database was requested by members of the Council in March 2016, in order to assist member states in complying with international legal obligations with regards to doing business with companies involved in activities which violate the human rights of people around the world.

Peace Now Report on Effect of Smotrich’s “Settlement Administration”

Peace Now has published a new report that reveals the exact details of the agreement signed by Bezalel Smotrich, Yoav Gallant, and Netanyahu to create the new “Settlement Administration” for Smotrich to take control over settlement affairs. The extent of Smotrich’s power has until now been unclear, but as Peace Now writes there is a larger significance to the establishment of this new body which wields such vast authority, writing:

“…beyond the personal question of who is responsible for the mechanism and who will implement it, and what their political obligations are, the establishment of the Settlements Administration is not merely a symbolic or political process but instead constitutes as annexation of the oPt and their direct management by the Israeli government. Moreover, it involves a nationally-based separation within the same governing entity between Israeli settlers, who are managed by one body, and Palestinian residents, who are managed by another body. This is one of the characteristics of an apartheid regime.”

The report – entitled “Annexation Under the Radar: The Establishment of the Settlements Administration under Minister Bezalel Smotrich” – is available online.

Who Profits Documents Role of Israeli National Water Company in Perpetuating Occupation

In a new report entitled, “Dried Up: Mekorot’s Involvement in the Israeli Occupation”, Who Profits examines the role Israel’s nationa water company plays in facilitating the dispossession and displacement of Palestinian communities on both sides of the Green Line, and its role in facilitating settlement expansion in service of an Israeli water sector contingent on the exploitation of occupied natural resources, and the violation of Palestinian and Syrian rights.

Who Profits writes:

“Israel’s national water company, Mekorot, is a central facilitator of this embedded dispossession, systematically denying adequate Palestinian access to water, leading to structured dependency and the captivity of the Palestinian water sector. In a world increasingly concerned by the disastrous impact of global warming and water scarcity, Mekorot plays an integral role in the development of the Israeli occupation economy by positioning Israel as a global leader in the development of innovative technological solutions to global issues.”

Bonus Reads

“73 Home Demolitions in East Jerusalem for First Half of 2023 Mark Highest Number since 2018” (Ir Amim)
“Israeli settlers burn Palestinian crops in Hebron: PA” (Al-Monitor)
“US Embassy invites Binyamin Council head to July 4 celebration” (Arutz Sheva)

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

To subscribe to this report, please click here.

June 30, 2023

Israel Advances Plans for 5,700 New Settlement Units, Making 2023 (after just 6 months) A Record Year for Settlement Growth
In the Midst of Settler Rampages, Six New Outposts Established Last Week
New “Youth Center” Planned for East Jerusalem Settler Enclave
Terrestrial Jerusalem on The Big Picture of Jerusalem Settlement Activities
Ir Amim & Bimkom Warn of Potential for Mass Dispossession Via East Jerusalem Land Registration
Bonus Reads

Israel Advances Plans for 5,700 New Settlement Units, Making 2023 (after just 6 months) A Record Year for Settlement Growth

As anticipated, the Israeli High Planning Council convened on June 26th and advanced plans for nearly 5,700 new settlement units. These include plans that, if given final approval, would grant retroactive legalization to three outposts, in the process massively expanding the Eli settlement (plans publicly announced by the Israeli government as retaliation for the recent killing of four Israeli settlers near that settlement). With these latest moves to advance new construction in settlements and legalize illegal construction, Peace Now reports that just in the first half of 2023 the Israeli government has advanced plans for more than 13,000 new settlement units — more than three times as many as were advanced in all of 2022 and more than in any year since 2012 when Peace Now began systematically tracking such things.

Peace Now said in a statement:

“The Israeli government is pushing us at an unprecedented pace towards the full annexation of the West Bank. The approval of nearly 5,700 housing units today and over 13,000 in the first half of this year alone should make it clear that the government is rushing headlong towards an annexation coup, turning Israel into an apartheid state.”

Of the total, 818 new settlement units received final approval and 4,915 settlement units were approved for deposit for public review (a key step in the approval process).

Final approvals were given to 818 settlement units, including:

Carmel – 42 units. These units are part of expansion of construction in the settlement towards the southeast. This settlement is located in the South Hebron Hills, where Palestinians are facing ongoing displacement and forcible relocation.
Elkana – 359 housing units. Elkana is located in the northern West Bank in an area where the Israeli separation barrier cuts deeply into the land in order to keep settlements on the Israeli side of the barrier.
Givat Ze’ev – 29 units. Givat Ze’ev is located north of Jerusalem (viewed by Israelis as part of Greater Jerusalem).
Revava – 381 housing units. Revava is located west of the Ariel settlement in the heart of the northern West Bank.
Hermesh – 7 settlement units. Hermesh is located in the northern West Bank, west of the Palestinian city of Jenin. Back on May 30, 2023, a settler from Hermesh was killed in an attack claimed by the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

The Council approved for deposit a total of 4,915 units, including plans that would transform three illegal outposts – Palgei Maim, HaYovel, and Nof Harim – into so-called “neighborhoods” of the Eli settlement, regardless of the fact that the outposts are not contiguous with the built-up area of the settlement. For more details on the settlement plans advanced through this earlier stage of the planning process, please refer to Peace Now’s reporting.

In the Midst of Settler Rampages, Six New Outposts Established Last Week

In the midst of the settler rampages in the West Bank last week, Peace Now reports that overnight on June 20th into the morning of June 21st, settlers succeeded in establishing six new outposts (illegal even under Israeli law). These new outposts come in addition to the re-occupation/re-establishment of the Evyatar outpost by settlers on the same day.

As of publication, two of the new outposts have been removed by the IDF, and a third – called “HaMor” – is the latest focus of the ongoing power struggle between Bezalel Smotrich (who has angrily worked to prevent the demolition of one of the new outposts) and Defense Minister Gallant (who signed off on the outposts’ evacuation). As has been the case in the past, Smortich appears to have won this battle, and the petition seeking the removal of the outpost has been withdrawn. Smotrich argued that he, in his role as a minister within the Defense Ministry and head of the new “Settlement Administration,” has authority over all building enforcement in the West Bank, and he was not properly informed of (nor did he approve of) the decision to evacuate the outpost

Peace Now said in a statement:

“Violating the law, destroying the possibility of a future Palestinian State, creating further points of friction between settlers and Palestinians and rewarding settler violence has become the official policy of the State of Israel in the West Bank. The establishment of seven new outposts disregards not only international law but also the Israeli legal system itself. Beyond the devastating consequences that these outposts will have, first and foremost on Palestinians, the government of Israel is also destroying the possibility of a life of dignity and peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”

Peace Now reports the following details on the six new outposts:

A new outpost settlers call “HaMor” is located on the land of the Palestinian villages of Luban al-Sharqiya and Sinjil, near the Givat Levona settlement and the Givat HaRoeh outpost – though settlers claim it was built on “state land”. The outpost is by far the most organized and serious effort to establish a permanent presence. While the rest are singular tents and unprofessional building, this outpost currently consists of five caravans, a newly created access path, electricity poles, and the land had been leveled by heavy equipment. On the morning of June 29th, IDF forces arrived at this outpost to enforce a military evacuation order, but were stopped (literally as IDF forces were onsite and prepared to begin removing settlers and their belongings) by an temporary injunction freezing the evacuation issued by the Jerusalem Municipal Court. On June 30th, the petition seeking the removal of this outpost was withdrawn, suggesting that the settlers have been successful in establishing a permanent new outpost.
A new outpost is located near the Tekoa settlement (located south of Bethlehem), which appears to consist of a tent and a trailer. This outpost is located on lands belonging to the Palestinian village of Tuqu’.
A new outpost is located near the Mevo’ot Yericho settlement in the Jordan Valley, built on the lands of the Palestinian village of Taybeh. This outpost was removed by the IDF on June 29th.
A new outpost was set up east of the Neve Erez settlement, on the lands of the Palestinian village of Mukhmas, located north of Jerusalem. This outpost was removed by the IDF on June 29th.
A new outpost, consisting of a single tent, was established west of the Halamish and Atarot settlements, on lands of the Palestinian village of Umm Safa. Peace Now reports: “the establishment of the outpost led to clashes between Palestinians and settlers as well as to settler violence inside the Palestinian village over the weekend. The settlement Watch Team observed that on Tuesday, June 27, 2023, the tent was not in place, and it is possible that the outpost has been abandoned or removed.”
A new outpost was established near the Emanuel settlement, on lands of the Palestinian village of Deir Istiya, located southwest of Nablus

New “Youth Center” Planned for East Jerusalem Settler Enclave

Haaretz reports that the Jerusalem Municipality has allocated nearly $1 million (NIS 3.5 million) to build a youth center in the Ma’ale Hazeitim settlement enclave, located in the middle of the Palestinian East Jerusalem neighborhood of Ras Al-Amud. Around 120 settler families live in the enclave, in the midst of some 23,000 Palestinians living in Ras Al-Amud, and another 26,000 Palestinians living in the nearby A-Tor neighborhood. Notably, there is no state-funded youth center in either Ras Al-Amud or A-Tor, notwithstanding the fact that there are far more youths living in these neighborhoods than in the settlement enclave. Indeed, of the 20 youth clubs funded by the Israeli government in Jerusalem since 1967, only four are located in Palestinian neighborhoods of East Jerusalem.

Not coincidentally, Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Aryeh King — a driving force behind settlement across East Jerusalem — lives in the Ma’ale Hazeitim settlement enclave. Laura Wharton – a member of the Jerusalem City Council – told Haaretz:

“The person involved [in the project] and who’s pushing for its promotion is the deputy mayor, Aryeh King, who lives in the settlement inside the neighborhood. Promoting this plan reflects no public interest, but a personal and settler-oriented interest alone.”

The Ma’ale Hazeitim settlement has a peculiar history of receiving large government investments – including the 2015 construction of a $3 million (NIS 11 million) ritual bath (mikveh) – built at a time when the tiny enclave already had 2 mikvehs. Earlier this year, in March 2023, it was reported that King is also pushing plans to build 140 new settlement units in the Ma’ale Hazeitim enclave – which would double its current capacity.

In a 2011 paper describing the Ma’ale Hazeitim settler enclave, Ir Amim wrote:

“In addition to the government construction, another policy, of building ideological settlements in the midst of Palestinian neighborhoods, has also been pursued in East Jerusalem, especially since the early 1990s. The settlements are usually promoted by private right wing organization and focus on the area of the historic basin of the Old City. Their goal is to break up the Palestinian homogeneity of those neighborhoods and prevent territorial contiguity between the Palestinian core of Jerusalem and the surrounding Palestinian areas. Although these projects are initiated by private organizations, they enjoy the clear and sweeping support of the relevant official and public bodies, including the planning authorities, which routinely grant these settlement plans all of the necessary permits and allow them high building densities….the largest of those settlements [is] Maale Zeitim”

Terrestrial Jerusalem on The Big Picture of Jerusalem Settlement Activities

Terrestrial Jerusalem has issued a sweeping new report on settlement activity in East Jerusalem. The report lays out how current Israeli policies and actions constitute “fundamental changes in the trajectory and nature of the conflict gripping Jerusalem, some of which pose threats not only to the potential of any future political agreement, but to the unique character of the city of Jerusalem.”

The report covers the following areas of settlement activity (as excerpted from the Executive summary):

The Southern Flank: A critical mass of settlement construction is underway on the border between East Jerusalem and its sister city of Bethlehem towards creating a buffer between the two. In addition to the devastating impact that this may have on a future political agreement, it is yet another blow to the already vulnerable Christian presence in the Holy Land.
The Eastern Flank: In addition to the currently suspended threats of the approval of E-1 and the demolition of Khan al Ahmar, a third threat is emerging: the completion of a segregated road system in the Ma’aleh Adumim salient, with one set of roads designated for Israelis and another for Palestinians.
Settlement Enclaves in East Jerusalem, Unprecedented GOI Construction: Since 1967, the Gol has refrained from directly building settlements inside Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem. Today, and for the first time, it is planning to construct six such settlements, under the auspices of the Ministry of Justice’s Custodian General. The first such scheme in Sharafat provides for the construction of more than 700 units and is in the advanced planning stages in the run-up to statutory approval.
The Fragmentation of the East Jerusalem-Ramallah Corridor: To date, the unimpeded urban corridor from the northern half of East Jerusalem to Ramallah, the integrity of which is essential for the integration of East Jerusalem into any future Palestinian State, has remained intact. However, there is a major plan being advanced for the construction of a new 9,000-unit settlement neighborhood in Atarot.
The Government-Sponsored Encirclement of the Old City: For years, and under the radar, the GoI has been engaged in an ambitious project to ring the Old City with Biblically-inspired settlements and settlement-related projects. To date, more than 1.1 billion shekels have been invested in the project. The most acute manifestation is the plan to create a national park on the Mount of Olives, which would place major Christian holy sites under the authority of the Biblically-driven East Jerusalem settlers. The plan poses a threat to the religious, historical and cultural integrity of Jerusalem, and to its character as a city of universal significance.

For a detailed explanation of each of these six areas, read the report.

Ir Amim & Bimkom Warn of Potential for Mass Dispossession Via East Jerusalem Land Registration

Ir Amim and Bimkom have issued a succinct new analysis of how Israel’s effort to impose new land registration requirements in East Jerusalem – known as the Settlement of Land Title Process, aka SOLT – is advancing settlers’ takeover of East Jerusalem properties and has the potential to result in the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians from the city. The numbers and data show that the land registration process is being operationalized by Israel, often in a secretive manner, in order to advance a pro-settlement agenda. The report concludes by calling on Israel to bring these land registration procedures to an immediate end.

The report, entitled “The Grand Theft,” explains the history of land registration in East Jerusalem. It unpacks how the entire legal land ownership situation Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem find themselves in today is an Israeli-imposed “Catch-22”, resulting directly from Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem in 1967. The report explains:

“Although the lack of settlement of land title procedures has had detrimental consequences for Palestinian communities in East Jerusalem, its renewal carries far worse repercussions. After five years of monitoring the implementation of SOLT [settlement of land title] in East Jerusalem, its alarming nature has become clear. SOLT is being exploited as a new and potent tool of land theft, under the guise of a legitimate legal process to establish Palestinian property rights. It appears to have become the State of Israel’s main method to appropriate more land in East Jerusalem and advance the displacement and dispossession of Palestinians from areas of strategic interest to the State. SOLT is almost exclusively being initiated to finalize ownership rights in existing or planned Israeli settlements, settler enclaves in the heart of Palestinian neighborhoods, areas with state-deemed ‘Absentee Property,’ or property allegedly owned by Jews pre-1948.”

Read the report to learn more about the legal basis by which Israel is carrying out land registration in East Jerusalem.

Bonus Reads

“Israel Poisoned Palestinian Land to Build West Bank Settlement in 1970s, Documents Reveal” (Haaretz)
“Jerusalem’s Armenian community fears erasure after controversial land deal” (Mondoweiss)
“Can’t or won’t? IDF fails to prevent settler attacks, and that’s unlikely to change” (The Times of Israel)
“Israel’s Push to Expand West Bank Settlements, Explained” (New York Times)