Welcome to FMEP’s Weekly Settlement Report, covering everything you need to know about Israeli settlement and annexation activity this week.
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January 17, 2025
- Settlement Advancement Continue on Weekly Basis
- Judge Rules on Five Cases, All in Favor of Settlers Claims in Batan al-Hawa
- New Bimkom-Ir Amim Report: Planning in East Jerusalem Completely Halted by New Protocol
- New Data Confirms: Settlers Face Virtually NO Accountability for Crimes Against Palestinians & Their Property
- Al-Haq and Partners File Additional Info on Booking.Com Settlement Business
- Trump Invites Settler Leaders to Attend Inauguration
- Bonus Reads
Settlement Advancement Continue on Weekly Basis
Peace Now reports the High Planning Council was scheduled to convene on January 15th to advance plans for 372 new settlement units, all planned for the Beitar Illit settlement. This is the seventh week in a row the HPC has met to approve settlement construction.
The HPC is scheduled to meet again next week, on January 22nd, for the eighth consecutive week. At that meeting, the HPC is expected to give final approval to a plan for the construction of 184 new settlement units in the Migdalim settlement.
Peace Now writes:
“Since the current Netanyahu government took office, record numbers of housing units have been advanced in the West Bank. In 2023, the HPC approved 12,349 housing units—a record high. In 2024, 9,884 housing units were approved. The transition to weekly planning approvals is the result of policy changes introduced by the Netanyahu-Smotrich government. One key decision, made in June 2023, abolished the requirement for the Defense Minister’s approval at every stage of advancing settlement plans. Previously, settlement construction plans required prior approval from the Defense Minister. In recent years, the Defense Minister limited settlement planning sessions to approximately four times a year, resulting in the approval of thousands of units in each session.
In recent weeks, however, a significant change has occurred, with the HPC convening every week to approve a few hundred housing units in each meeting. This systematic approach aims to normalize settlement planning and attract less public and international attention and criticism.”
Judge Rules on Five Cases, All in Favor of Settlers Claims in Batan al-Hawa
Peace Now reports that the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court has ruled in favor of Israeli settlers in four cases (with a fifth ruling expected soon), resulting in the impending eviction of Palestinians from their longtime homes in the Batan al-Hawa section of the Silwan neighborhood in East Jerusalem in favor of the settlers. The five cases will result in 27 Palestinian families (131 individuals, mostly children) being forcibly displaced from their homes. The Court gave the families a six month deadline.
The Court’s ruling accepts settlers’ claim to own the land on which the Palestinians’ homes are located, homes which the Court recognized were legally purchased by Palestinians in the 1960s. Regardless of the validity of the home ownership, the Court recognized the settler’s ownership of the land under a discriminatory Israeli law that allows Jews to “reclaim” property and land that was owned by Jews prior to 1948. This law is being used by settlers to achieve mass displacement of Palestinians across East Jerusalem.
Peace Now writes:
“This is an injustice and a crime against a vulnerable population living under occupation in East Jerusalem. The dispossession of Palestinians from their homes in Silwan, enabled by the application of the Jewish ‘right of return,’ represents an indelible stain on the State of Israel. The Israeli judicial system has failed to protect the fundamental rights of Palestinians to their homes, effectively endorsing the racist and messianic policies of the current Israeli government. A responsible government would halt the forced expulsions of this community. Tragically, our government demonstrates anything but responsibility in any regard. The International Court of Justice has explicitly addressed the discriminatory legal framework and Israel’s settlement policy in East Jerusalem in its advisory opinion, declaring these practices a violation of international law.”
Ir Amim writes:
“Since the outbreak of the war, there has been a dramatic spike in the number of court decisions authorizing evictions of Palestinian families in favor of settler groups. Over the past several months, the courts have ruled to evict a total of 17 families (households), numbering some 100 individuals–the majority of whom are from Batan al-Hawa.”
New Bimkom-Ir Amim Report: Planning in East Jerusalem Completely Halted by New Protocol
Ir Amim and Bimkom have released a new report examining the recent intensification of Israel systematical denial of the ability for Palestinians to plan for construction in East Jerusalem. In 2023 Israel replaced the traditional “Muktar Protocol” with a new process which has resulted in a near total freeze on planning for Palestinians on unregistered private property.
The report explains:
“In comparison to the “Mukhtar Protocol,” the new protocol has had a detrimental impact on private residential planning (and building) in East Jerusalem4. According to the new protocol, planning and building submissions are required to include Jordanian property tax certificates from the early 1960s or earlier (or Israeli property tax until the year 2000) along with records detailing the historical chain of ownership up to the present. These requirements, usually demanded only as part of SOLT procedures– which are problematic in themselves– are new to the planning process. Additionally, the new protocol requires that the District Planning Bureau approach state authorities, such as the Custodian of Absentee Property (CAP), the General Custodian (GC), the Israel Land Authority (ILA), the Municipality, and the SOLT registrar to check whether they have claims on the same land. In the past, the SOLT registrar was not on this list, and the Planning Bureau often did not wait for responses from the other entities to proceed.
Now, the SOLT registrar has been in effect given the right of veto within the planning process. The added requirements present East Jerusalem Palestinians with two difficulties – a bureaucratic and a fundamental one. The bureaucratic difficulty is related to the challenge of obtaining the necessary documents. The fundamental difficulty is the real danger of losing land under the Absentee Property Law, which is applied through the new protocol, as it is via SOLT.”
New Data Confirms: Settlers Face Virtually NO Accountability for Crimes Against Palestinians & Their Property
Yesh Din’s newly updated tracking shows that 94% of criminal investigations into ideological offenses committed by Israelis against Palestinians in the West Bank in the past 20 years have been closed without indictments. Further, Yesh Din has found insufficient investigations into 81% of the cases, displaying “a longstanding systemic and deliberate failure in law enforcement responses to ideologically motivated crime against Palestinians in the West Bank.”
Yesh Din further explains that the larger context of this data paints an even more dire picture. They find 66% of Palestinian victims chose not to file complaints against Israeli offenders at all – meaning the data does not tell the full story. Palestinians victims of Israeli violence routinely cite a lack of faith in the Israel Police and trust that the Israeli authorities in their decision not to file a complaint.
The picture is clear: violence is a policy. Settler violence is part of a systematic approach aimed at expanding control over West Bank territory by making Palestinian lives unbearable and pushing them off their lands.
Yesh Din writes:
“This reflects the ongoing failure of Israeli authorities to enforce the law against Israeli citizens who commit serious crimes against Palestinians and their property. For two decades, we have monitored this phenomenon and provided legal assistance to Palestinian victims. The new data underscores the lack of deterrence and the lenient policies of Israeli law enforcement toward ideological crimes. Most investigations are closed on grounds such as “unknown perpetrator” or “lack of evidence,” highlighting negligent and ineffective investigations. Only 3% of cases resulted in convictions, giving offenders a sense of immunity from accountability for their actions while Palestinians whose rights are violated remain unprotected by the law.”
Al-Haq and Partners File Additional Info on Booking.Com Settlement Business
Al-Haq and partners have filed additional evidence against Booking.com accusing the travel company of profiting from stolen land through its decision to promote rentals located in settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The new evidence, which was submitted to a court in the Netherlands where the case was filed in 2023, accuses Booking.com of adding to the number of listings it hosts in settlements – from 13 rentals to 39 rentals in East Jerusalem over the past year.
The complainants write:
“In our complaint, we argue that by promoting and listing properties in illegal settlements, Booking.com directly supports the normalisation and economic sustainability of these unlawful practices. The company provides financial backing to settlers and their enterprises, furthering the displacement of Palestinians and solidifying settlement expansion. This conduct sustains Israel’s settler-colonial regime and violations of international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits population transfer into occupied territories. We have substantiated our claims thoroughly. For instance, the additional evidence builds on the July 2024 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice, which reaffirmed the illegality of Israeli settlements and underscored the responsibility of states to prevent economic activities that perpetuate them.”
Trump Invites Settler Leaders to Attend Inauguration
Settlers leaders from the powerful Yesha Council are gleefully celebrating their invitation to attend the inauguration of Donald Trump, who is being sworn into office on January 20th. Yesha Council Chairman and Binyamin Regional Council Head Israel Ganz, Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan, Oranit Council Head Or Piron-Zomer, and Yesha Council CEO Omer Rahamim all plan to attend as official guests.
The Times of Israel reports the delegation plans to deliver a letter thanking Trump for “redeeming” Jerusalem and recognizing Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights during his previous presidency.
Speaking about the delegations plans, a Yesha Council official told Israel Hayom:
“Our objective is to strengthen existing connections and forge new ones. Washington’s attention is elsewhere at present. Trump is focused on Greenland sovereignty matters, not Israel’s concerns in Judea and Samaria. Timing is crucial. We must proceed strategically and appropriately.”
In a statement to Israel Hayom, Yesha Council Chairman Israel Ganz said:
“We represent Judea and Samaria residents in standing with our allies and President-elect Trump at this historic moment. The administration’s invitation reflects our shared Biblical values with the US. We face a common moral challenge against global threats, with Judea and Samaria settlements serving as the frontline defense for Israel, America, and the free world. We envision achieving transformative progress that will ensure global stability for generations, and we support Trump’s leadership in this endeavor. Our ongoing dialogue with senior administration officials continues to advance these goals.”
Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan told Israel Hayom:
“Our delegation brings the blessing of the communities in Judea and Samaria to the new administration. Years of relationship-building with our newly elected American friends have created this pivotal opportunity for Israel, particularly its government, to achieve significant advances in strengthening our presence in the Land of Israel. Our unified approach underscores the importance of maintaining strong ties with the incoming American administration and bolstering support for the communities in Judea and Samaria, both internationally and among US Jewish communities.”
Bonus Reads
- “Defense Chief Cancels Detention Without Trial for Settlers Ahead of ‘Terrorists’ Release in Gaza Hostage Deal” (Haaretz)
- “Humanitarian Situation Update #256 | West Bank” (OCHA)
- “Israeli minister asks PM to back plan for a million Jews in Samaria” (JNS)