West Asia

Israeli authorities have advanced plans for the construction of 895 new illegal settler units in several settlements across the occupied West Bank, despite international outcry against the Tel Aviv regime’s Palestinian land-grab policies. The Palestinian anti-settlement monitoring group Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission (CWRC) said in a weekly report on Saturday that it had monitored 11 settlement plans that include the growth of residential areas, the establishment of industrial and commercial zones, and changes to land-use classifications and construction rights in various West Bank provinces.

The commission said an analysis of the plans reveals three interconnected strategies: Increasing the number of settler units; converting farmland and open spaces into urban and industrial areas; and expanding services and facilities to ensure settlements can remain in place and continue expanding. The plans are spread across the provinces of Qalqilya, Salfit, Nablus, Ramallah, Al-Bireh, and Hebron, along with the so-called Gush Etzion Regional Council area in the southern West Bank.

According to the CWRC, 288 units are supposed to be constructed in Kedumim settlement, built on land belonging to the Palestinian village of Kafr Qaddum, 225 in Beit Hagai settlement, 200 in Talmon settlement, 98 in Ariel settlement, and 83 in Alon Moreh settlement. The commission warned that the conversion of agricultural and open lands into residential and commercial areas for illegal settlers negatively impacts West Bank territory, further limiting the expansion and advancement of Palestinian communities while solidifying Israeli dominance in the occupied regions.

Approximately 750,000 Israeli settlers reside in 156 unauthorized settlements and 360 settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, including East al-Quds. According to Palestinian figures, settlers frequently engage in actions aimed at forcibly removing Palestinians from their land. The United Nations considers these settlements illegal under international law and the Geneva Conventions, as they are established on occupied territories.

Numerous resolutions from the UN Security Council have prohibited Israel's settlement activities. In July 2024, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel's long-standing occupation of historical Palestine is unlawful and called for the removal of all settlements in the West Bank and East al-Quds. However, like many previous rulings, these decisions have not been acted upon.