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February 6, 2026
- ANNEXATION: Knesset Initiates Bill to Establish “Judea & Samaria Heritage Authority” Run by Settlers
- EAST JERUSALEM: Land Registration, Dispossession in Silwan
- WEST BANK SETTLEMENTS & OUTPOSTS: 140 Farming Outposts to be Legalized, Five Outpost Complete Legalization Process, Plans for 161 Units Advanced, Peace Now Releases 2025 Settlement Data
- GAZA: Settlers Briefly Enter Gaza
- SETTLER & STATE TERRORISM: IDF Admits it Does Not Protect Palestinians,
- BONUS READS
ANNEXATION
Knesset Initiates Bill to Establish “Judea & Samaria Heritage Authority” Run by Settlers
On February 3rd, the Knesset Education, Culture, and Sports Committee voted 7-5 to approve the first reading of a bill that would establish a statutory body within the Israeli government that would exercise broad authority over heritage sites in “the area” of the West Bank — an act of de facto annexation. The bill needs to pass two more readings to become law. The bill will now be considered by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, which is when the governing coalition will decide whether to support the bill.
The Israeli Civil Administration, a body within the Defense Ministry, currently exercises authority over all matters in Area C and increasingly operating in Area B in contravention to the Oslo Accords. As proposed, the new “Judea and Samaria Heritage Authority” would transfer those powers to Israel’s domestic, civilian government. Emek Shaveh, Peace Now, and the Geneva Initiative highlight that, if passed, this would be the first instance of Israel applying domestic Israeli law to territory (land) rather than persons (settlers) in the West Bank. The coalition further warns that the bill does not currently provide a definition of what area the new body would have jurisdiction over, and previous versions of the bill included Areas A, B, and even C.
A nine-member body of settlers would be appointed by the Israeli Heritage Minister to oversee and direct the work of the new Authority which would be tasked with “for all matters of heritage, antiquities, and archaeology in the area, including preservation, restoration, development, and rescue of antiquities, excavation, development, and management of sites, and making them accessible to the public.”
Peace Now warns:
“The bill includes several extreme provisions concerning land: the authority to purchase land for the purpose of safeguarding, conserving, researching, and developing sites; and the authority to expropriate land and antiquities. In practice, this would allow the Authority to expropriate privately owned land under the pretext of protecting antiquities. Since Palestinians do not sell land to Israelis and generally reject compensation in cases of expropriation, the bill creates a mechanism enabling settlers to take control of archaeological sites and Palestinian-owned land…
The bill does not yet specify what powers the Heritage Authority would hold in Areas A and B. In 2024, the Security Cabinet instructed the Staff Officer for Archaeology to enforce antiquities-protection measures in Area B. If the new law authorizes oversight and management of antiquities in Areas A and B, it would mean that any construction within Palestinian Authority areas would require approval from the Heritage Authority. It is important to recall that all Palestinian towns and villages are situated near archaeological sites, so such a decision would have far-reaching consequences for Palestinian development and construction possibilities.”
EAST JERUSALEM
Israel Doubles Down on Land Registration in East Jerusalem, Posing Major Threat to Palestinians
Ir Amim issued a warning that Israel has expedited its work to complete land registration in East Jerusalem, a process which is likely to lead to the mass dispossession of Palestinians. The Israeli government has adopted a mandate to complete the registration by 2029.
Ir Amim writes:
“Since 2018, the land registration process, formally known as settlement of land title (SOLT), has become one of the state’s primary new tools for seizing Palestinian land and expanding Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem. The recent government decision allocates new budgets, increases government personnel, and explicitly stipulates the official involvement of the Custodian of Absentee Property, indicating a concerted effort to expand and expedite implementation of the process. As a department within the Ministry of Finance, the Custodian of Absentee Property is directly under the authority of Minister Bezalel Smotrich and has for years been one of the main Israeli bodies behind the transfer of Palestinian lands into state hands.
The formal inclusion of the Custodian in the land registration process raises serious alarm and underscores the government’s intent to accelerate mass land confiscations in East Jerusalem, placing Palestinians at an unprecedented risk of dispossession and displacement. This decision should not come as a surprise given the government’s clear intent to fast-track as many irreversible facts on the ground as possible ahead of Israeli national elections this year…
Further amplifying the threat, settler activist, Hananel Gurfinkel, was recently appointed to oversee and expand the operations of the Custodian of Absentee Property. Gurfinkel has long worked to advance Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem and takeover of Palestinian properties, while actively cooperating with settler groups. It is likely not a coincidence that Gurfinkel was appointed to the Custodian of Absentee Property under Smotrich’s authority as Finance Minister. Prior to this appointment, Gurfinkel served in the General Custodian under the Justice Ministry where he was responsible for administering pre-1948 Jewish assets in East Jerusalem. In this role, Gurfinkel helped to facilitate the eviction of Palestinian families and settler takeovers of their homes, including in Silwan, Sheikh Jarrah, and the Old City, while directly initiating settlement plans within Palestinian neighborhoods, including those noted above.”
Israel orders demolition of 14 homes in Silwan
On February 1st, Israel issued demolition notices to 15 homes built without Israel-issued building permits, located in the Al-Bustan neighborhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem. Ir Amim reports that the orders affect 134 Palestinians, who have been ordered by Israel to self-demolish their homes or watch Israeli forces do so and later be billed for it.
On February 3rd, Israeli authorities issued partial eviction notices to two additional families in Batn al-Hawa section of Silwan based on claims of pre-48 ownership by Jews of small parts of land where the homes are built. Meanwhile, 32 households are bracing for court-ordered dispossession within the next two months at the behest of the Ateret Cohanim settler organization.
WEST BANK SETTLEMENTS & OUTPOSTS
Israel is Working to Legalize 140 Farm Outpost
The Israeli Defense Minister announced that he is working with the Prime Minister to grant retroactive legalization to 140 farming outposts, which are in many cases tiny outfits manned by just a few settlers who are able to take over a massive amount of land through livestock farming. These farming outposts are also a very common locus for violence and terror.
Five Settlements Approved
On February 5th, the Israeli Ministry of Interior announced its recognition of five settlements, completing the process of legalizing outposts. Now considered legal under Israeli law, the settlements are eligible for: direct budget allocations from the Israeli government, connection to Israeli infrastructure including water, electricity, and postal service, and formal security protection.
The new settlements are:
- Havat Gilad
- Eival
- Ma’oz Tzvi
- Tamar
- Neve Gedid – Gadi Camp
Smotrich celebrated, saying:
“In about two months, we managed to bring 25 settlement symbols and complete years of regularization processes. This is the result of hard work by many loyal partners.”
Plans for 161 New Settlement Units Advanced
Peace Now reports the High Planning Council met on February 11th to advance plans for 161 new settlement units. Those plans are:
- Shvut Rachel: 160 new units (deposited for public review).The Shvut Rachel settlement is located near the Shilo settlement in the central West Bank.
- Alon: 1 new unit (deposited for public review). The Alon settlement is located on the Palestinian side of the separation wall within sight of the Khan al-Ahmar bedouin village that Israel has been threatening to forcibly relocate. Israel recently raided Khan al-Ahmar and press reports indicate a new outpost had been built nearby.
So far in 2026, the High Planning Council has continued to meet weekly for consideration of settlement building plans.
Settlers Rebuild Outpost for 9th Time
Haaretz reports that settlers have managed to rebuild the Kol Mevaser outpost for the ninth time. The outpost has been demolished by the IDF eight times, in response to the vicious terrorism settlers living in the outpost have perpetrated on nearby Palestinian villages – most notably Mukhmas.
Rabbi Arik Ascherman tells Haaretz:
“It’s the same repeating loop,. The main story isn’t just violence. The army has been evacuating the outpost only for the settlers to rebuild it within a few hours. The defense establishment isn’t effectively using all its tools to prevent recurring attacks.”
2025 Settlement Data
Peace Now published “Summary of a Year of Terror, Expulsion, and Annexation — 2025 in the Settlements”. Key findings are:
- 86 new outposts, including 60 “agricultural farms” (an average of 1–2 outposts per week).
- 54 new official settlements approved by government decisions.
- 27,941 housing units approved by the Higher Planning Council
- 9,629 housing units included in settlement tenders.
- 27 new settlements were granted municipal jurisdiction areas.
- 1,269 Palestinian structures were demolished in Area C due to lack of building permits (OCHA data).
- 1,828 incidents of settler attacks resulting in bodily injury or property damage (OCHA data). 9 Palestinians were killed by settlers, and 838 Palestinians were injured.
- 22 Palestinian communities were fully or partially displaced due to settler violence (B’Tselem data).
Peace Now said in a statement:
“While inside Israel the government is dysfunctional, thousands of evacuees have not yet returned to their homes and tens of thousands of victims need rehabilitation, in the settlements the government acts like a well-oiled machine, investing billions and advancing construction and planning for the benefit of a small group of settlers in the government’s base. October 7th proved that one cannot simply “manage” the conflict — it must be resolved, and the solution requires a political agreement. The government’s rampage in the settlements condemns us to many more years of bloody conflict, diplomatic isolation, and heavy economic burden.”
GAZA
On February 5th hundreds of settlers attempted to illegally cross into Gaza for a tree-planting event organized by the Nachala settler group. Only a few managed to cross into the war zone, and were forced back out of Gaza by Israeli troops.
In conjunction with the illegal entry into Gaza, Nahala posted on social media: “no surrender to Trump’s dictates, no to an international Gaza, yes to a Jewish Gaza!””
SETTLER & STATE TERRORISM
IDF Tells Court It Can’t Protect Palestinians, Data Confirms
State counsel told the Supreme Court that the IDF is unable establish a permanent protective presence near the Palestinian village of Ras al-Ein al-Auja because of a personnel shortage. The state was arguing its case in response to a petition filed by the residents of Ras al-Ein al-Auja, seeking the State’s protection — a case filed nearly one year ago but taken up by the Court to late stop the forcible displacement of the village under constant settler terrorism. The petitioners are seeking to get the State’s cooperation in facilitating the safe return of the residents to the village and ongoing protection from settlers.
Confirming that the IDF is unable to stop settler violence, new Israeli Police data shows that settlers committed an average of four crimes a day against Palestinians during the first two weeks of the year. According to the police report, Israeli intelligence bodies belive that 300 teenage settlers are involved in violence, with 70 of them being “dominant and problematic.” Al Shabaka reminds in a new analysis: “Although media outlets often distinguish between settler and army violence—framing the former as “wildcards” acting independently of the latter—in practice, state and settler violence are indistinguishable, operating as mutually reinforcing arms of the same settler-colonial system. “ The Guardian recently reported on the settler-only IDF units that were set up in the wake of October 7, 2023 and have since come to be a vigilante militia force across the West Bank.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert wrote in Haaretz:
“A violent and criminal effort is underway to ethnically cleanse territories in the West Bank. Gangs of armed settlers persecute, harm, wound and even kill Palestinians living there. The rampages include burning olive groves, houses and cars; breaking into homes; and physically assaulting people.
They also harm, scatter and try to steal flocks of sheep. The rioters, the Jewish terrorists, storm Palestinians with hate and violence with one objective: to force them to flee from their homes. All this is done in the hopes that the land will then be prepared for Jewish settlement – en route to realizing the dream of annexing all the territories.
Police officers and soldiers are closing their eyes to all this. Those who try to defend the rioters claim that they are a small minority, a few dozen teenage hooligans who do not represent the public living in the territories, who ostensibly oppose the acts of violence. But we are talking about hundreds of violent young men who could not riot without having been armed at the initiative of, and inspiration by, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. In other words, a militia is operating in the West Bank with the backing, support and aid – direct and indirect – of Israeli government officials.
…In a properly functioning state (and Israel hasn’t been a properly functioning state for years), the police, State Prosecutor’s Office, courts, government, prime minister and the president would stand against these rioters. But it seems that in a country where all the rules of public conduct have been broken, and the most basic principles of human decency and tolerance have been trampled, the chances that any of them will stand up and stop the crimes are vanishingly small.”
BONUS READS
- “The theft at the heart of Israel’s booming wine industry” (+972 Magazine, 1/30/2026)
- REPORT: “Israel is Illegally Forcing Out Thousands of West Bank Palestinians” (DAWN, 1/21/26)
- “Thwarted tree-planting underscores daily torments for embattled Palestinian hamlet” (The Times of Israel, 2/3/2026)
- “Life and loss in Umm al-Khair, an island within a settlement” (Mondoweiss, 2/5/2026)
- “Yair Golan vows not to fund settlements if he comes to power” (The Times of Israel, 2/3/26)
- “What Yair Golan’s Vow to Cut Settlement Funding Could Mean for Israel’s Next Election” (Haaretz, 2/3/26)
- “Sovereignty Movement highlights importance of safeguarding Israel’s state land in Samaria, Judea” (JNS, 1/8/2026)
- “Yes, Israel Can Apply Israeli Law to the West Bank” (Eugene Kontorovich in Tablet, 1/14/2026)