Welcome to FMEP’s Weekly Settlement Report, covering everything you need to know about Israeli settlement activity this week.
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October 25, 2024
- Three New (Violent) Outposts Reported
- Nachala Movement, Ministers Prepare for Gaza Settlement & Call for Expulsion of Palestinians
- IDF Recruits, Pays Settlers in Reserves to Guard Outposts
- Settlers Continue to Terrorize Palestinians & Hamper Olive Harvest
- Bonus Reads
>Three New (Violent) Outposts Reported
Haaretz reports that two months ago settlers established a new illegal (even under Israeli law) outpost near the Khan al-Ahmar community on lands east of Jerusalem, and those illegal squatters are now routinely harassing and threatening the bedouin. The settlers have prevented children from attending school by blocking access to a path that leads near the outpost. As a Thereminder, the Khan al-Ahmar bedouin community has been in a years-long battle against the Israeli government, which insists their presence there is illegal and has sought to forcibly relocate the villages in order to construct the E-1 settlement.
The Israeli Civil Administration told Haaretz that there is no evacuation order against the illegal outpost, even though Israeli officers toured the outpost. The power over enforcement of Israeli planning law in the West Bank is in the hands of Bezalel Smotrich, who founded the organization Regavim which is/was a main instigator in the effort to push Khan al-Ahmar off its land.
The Times of Israel reports that in recent weeks settlers established a new outpost near the village of Tuba in the South Hebron Hills are also terrorizing nearby Palestinians and preventing children from making it to school. Video captured a settler stopping a Palestinian car, ordering the driver to open the trunk, and the settler proceeding to steal children’s backpacks along with other items.
In addition, Wafa reports a new outpost on lands just east of Hebron. The village council of Bayrin reports that settlers from the Susiya, Bnei Hefer, and Kiryat Arba settlements have built what looks like the start of a herding/agricultural outpost on its land. The outpost currently consists of a large tent and a caravan with Israeli flags.
Nachala Movement, Ministers Prepare for Gaza Settlement & Call for Expulsion of Palestinians
On October 20th, the settler movement Nachala organized a two-day conference near Kibbutz Be’eri to prepare for the establishment of Israeli settlements in Gaza – not just in a political sense but in practical terms. Daniel Weiss, the leader of Nachala who is under Canadian sanctions, said that she has paid for 40 buildings, and 700 families are committed to settling in Gaza and that:
“We came here with one clear purpose: to settle the entire Gaza Strip… Every inch from north to south.”
Weiss urged Palestinians to voluntarily leave Gaza, and that the first settlement will be built by the end of the year, stating:
“What we’re doing here is a copy-paste to Gaza. It’s not for nothing that we went through 50 years of effort and came out successful.”
When asked about Netanyahu’s public opposition to their goal – something Bibi has called “unrealistic” – Weiss said:
“Oh, how I love that word…It’s like a sweet treat for my ears. Because that’s exactly what they told me about settling Judea and Samaria. So when they tell me settling in Gaza is unrealistic, I know it can be done.”
The event was officially promoted by the Likud Party and four ministers were in attendance: Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Development of the Negev and Galilee Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf, and Social Equality and Women’s Empowerment Minister May Golan – from Netanyahu’s Likud Party. Several Knesset members were also in attendance at the event, which occasionally broke out in chants supporting Rabbi Meir Kahane.
After dancing in celebration and leading the conference in song, Ben-Gvir said:
“If we want it, we can renew settlements in Gaza.” And later, “We are the owners of this land..They [Palestinians] understand that when Israel acts like the rightful owners of this land, that is what brings results….[Israel should encourage] voluntary transfer of all Gazan citizens. We will offer them the opportunity to move to other countries because that land belongs to us.”
Following the event, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich shared similar sentiments on X, saying:
“What we have learned this year is that everything is up to us. We are the owners of this land. Yes, we experienced a terrible catastrophe. But what we need to understand, one year later – so many Israelis have changed their thinking. They have changed their mindset. They understand that when Israel acts like the rightful owners of this land, this is what brings results.”
IDF Recruits, Pays Settlers in Reserves to Guard Outposts
Haaretz reports there is a special effort to recruit settlers in the Israeli army reserves to serve as security guards for illegal Israeli outposts across the West Bank, and even help establish new outposts. Settlers themselves are doing the recruiting, banding together battalions of settler-soldiers paid by the State to protect to secure the illegal activities of settlers. An ad posted to a WhatsApp group read:
“We’re a group of 18-year-olds who are forming an outpost in the Hebron Hills [in the southern West Bank] and are looking for someone who has completed military service to sign up as a soldier from the regional defense battalion. … He will receive a salary and rifle and be with us in practice.”
Settlers Continue to Terrorize Palestinians & Hamper Olive Harvest
Here is a sampling of reports on settler violence and interference in the Palestinian olive harvest:
- Settlers attack harvesters and set fire to Palestinian homes, property in Jalud (October 19th)
- Attack in Hizma October 25th: https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/150821
- Soldiers seize harvest in Lubba al-Sharqiy (October 25th)
- Soldiers seize tractor and tent from Jordan Valley village (October 19th)
- Settlers force harvesters off land in Rojib, east of Nablus. (October 19th)
- Settlers attack Palestinian harvesters in Deir Istiya, and steal their property (October 19th)
It is almost unimaginable, but there are still farmers in Gaza attempting to harvest this season. Al-Monitor reports that Palestinians in Deir al-Balah are picking olives in constant fear of Israeli strikes.
Bonus Reads
- “Ireland eyes revival of bill to ban trade with Israeli settlements” (The Times of Israel)
- “UK sanctions on settlers are making a difference. Take it from an Israeli – they should go further” (The Guardian)