Palestinian Authority arrests suspects involved in sale of Jericho homes to settlers

The Palestinian Authority has arrested several suspects in connection with the sale of West Bank homes on the outskirts of Jericho to Israeli settlers, in violation of PA laws. Palestinian Authority security forces spokesman Anwar Rajab told Palestinian radio that those arrested are suspected of involvement in the “takeover of land in the Ad-Duyuk area of Jericho.” Last week, several dozen settlers associated with the Nachala settlement organization took up residence in eight buildings in the Jericho suburb, which Nachala said it had purchased in a secretive operation it announced only once the settlers had entered the homes.

The Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported that those arrested by the PA were brokers involved in transferring the homes to settlers and that they had been remanded in custody for 15 days. Palestinian Authority law prohibits the sale of land to an “enemy state” or its citizens, including Israeli citizens. In practice, the provision is enforced primarily against sales to Israeli Jews, rather than Arab citizens of Israel. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms Ad-Duyuk al-Tahta, where the homes were purchased, is located in Area C of the West Bank, which is under full Israeli civil and security control under the Oslo Accords.

It is adjacent to Jericho, a city of over 20,000 people, which is in Area A and under full PA control. Israeli settlers associated with the right-wing Nachala organization are seen in the West Bank city of Jericho on November 5, 2026. (Ilia YEFIMOVICH/AFP) According to reports, the homes purchased by the settlers are located on Israeli state land, and the Palestinians who built them did so illegally. The settlers claimed to have purchased the homes with the cooperation of the Binyamin Regional Council, a state-funded settlement municipal authority.

The Binyamin Regional Council also claimed the buildings are on state land. But it is unclear how the council would have been able to purchase the land if it had not been privately owned by Palestinians. Advertisement Settler groups have been accused of pressuring Palestinians and falsifying documents in order to carry out such takeovers of Palestinian property, with such cases more common in the West Bank city of Hebron. Multiple attacks reported across West Bank The sales took place as settler violence surged in recent months, with daily attacks and harassment, and as few perpetrators have been charged or convicted.

The attacks, some of which have targeted diplomats or the press, have sparked widespread international backlash. Critics accuse the outgoing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which includes far-right parties, of failing to address the issue and preventing security forces from taking action. Violence continued Monday, with Palestinian media outlets publishing footage of a settler slapping a Palestinian woman in the Khallet al-Hummus area of the South Hebron Hills in the southern West Bank.

The settler is seen grazing a flock of sheep near the entrance to what is, according to reports, the Palestinian woman’s home. After slapping her, he says, “Don’t come near me. Are you threatening me with a stick?” Another settler is seen standing beside him and filming the incident. A teenage settler slaps a Palestinian homeowner while grazing a herd of cattle at the entrance to her home in the Khalet al-Hummus area, south of the city of Yatta.

Since Shem Tov Lusky and other settlers invaded the lands of Khalet al-Hummus approximately six months ago pic.twitter.com/2ffiHMVoJr Advertisement — מחוץ לעדר/ kivsa shchora (@masafering) November 9, 2026 In another incident, Palestinian media outlets reported that settlers set fire to three excavators and several other vehicles in an industrial area near the village of Beita, south of Nablus, in the West Bank. Footage that circulated on social media showed fires in several locations.

There were no immediate reports of injuries. ???? مستوطنون يحرقون مركبات ومعدات وآليات تعود لمواطنين في المنطقة الصناعية ببلدة بيتا جنوب نابلس. #الضفة_الغربية pic.twitter.com/UEgPqk2zKU — مدفعجي (@madfajy) November 9, 2026 A few hours earlier, settler-affiliated media outlets reported that Palestinians had set fire to two vehicles at an outpost in the area. No injuries were reported in that incident either. 10 Palestinians affiliated with Islamic Jihad arrested — IDF Meanwhile, 10 Palestinians affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group, whom the military said were planning to carry out an attack on Israeli civilians, were captured during a raid in the West Bank.

Advertisement The IDF said soldiers of the Paratroopers Brigade’s Reconnaissance Unit and the Duvdevan Commando Unit, along with Border Police officers, raided the village of Arraba near Jenin, following intelligence provided by the Shin Bet security agency. The troops simultaneously raided 10 different buildings in the village, locating all 10 wanted suspects within half an hour, according to the military. The IDF said the suspects had acted to “establish a terror network to carry out an attack against Israeli civilians” in the northern West Bank area.

The suspects were handed over to the Shin Bet and Israel Police for further questioning. Your next read: ToI Editors' Picks LIMITED TIME OFFER: Join The Times of Israel Community today and you'll receive a physical book of your choice, carefully curated by our editors. Choose between two must-reads: When We See You Again by Rachel Goldberg-Polin, a searing portrait of a mother’s grief and strength following unthinkable tragedy; Or Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe by Matti Friedman, the gripping and surprising tale of a forgotten moment during World War II.

As a Community member, you’ll also enjoy our DocuNation series of outstanding Israeli documentary films, an ad-free experience of our site and podcasts, commenting privileges, and more. CHOOSE YOUR BOOK CHOOSE YOUR BOOK Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this You're a dedicated reader We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.

So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE , as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.

Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel Join Our Community Join Our Community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this Most Popular 1 Leading US Reform rabbi after midterms: The American Jewish ‘Golden Age’ has ended 2 Eisenkot tasked with forming government, vows ‘creative and unconventional’ path to ‘emergency’ coalition 3 Ambassador to US suggests NY Times Gaza coverage preparing ‘next genocide’ of Jews 4 Trump: Republicans did poorly in midterms because of a ‘great dislike, incredibly, for Israel’ 5 Rubio says Iranians making ‘outrageous and ridiculous’ demands in negotiations 6 Concert review Tel Aviv crowd exults in Boy George a second time, glitches and all 7 Trump orders Justice Department to probe Democrats for ‘threatening’ people 8 ‘Trump has cost us’: Diehard MAGA supporters wonder if movement dead after midterms read more: Israel & the Region Jericho PA Palestinian Authority West Bank settlements Palestinian Islamic Jihad Nachala IDF Israel Defense Forces If you’d like to comment, join The Times of Israel Community.

JOIN THE TOI COMMUNITY Already a member? Log in here close popup Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community Sign in or Register Paying ToI Community members are invited to comment on articles Email address * Please use the following structure: example@domain.com Continue Or Continue with By joining you agree to the terms and conditions Send me The Times of Israel Daily Edition back close popup Register to continue Email address * Change REGISTER Or Continue with back close popup Log in to continue Email address * Something went wrong.

Please try again in a few minutes.. Continue back close popup Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community Sign in or Register You are currently registered. Please join The Times of Israel Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits Only ToI Community members can comment below articles Email address * Password * Incorrect password. Please try again or choose an option below. Forgot your password? / Send me a login link Continue Sign in without joining Or Continue with close popup Check your email We sent an email to you at .

It has a link that will sign you in. Click the link in that email to complete registration so you can comment. back close popup Join The Times of Israel Community Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits. Email address * Please use the following structure: example@domain.com JOIN NOW! close popup Thank you! Now check your email You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community!

We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.