Benjamin Netanyahu continues his war on the Palestinian State from the Ofra Settlement

By: Madeeha Al-A’raj
The ‘National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Settlements stated in its latest weekly report , that Israeli PM Netanyahu visited the Ofra settlement, near the Ramallah Governorate, marking 50 years since its founding, where he unveiled the ‘cedar tree’ planted at the site 25 years ago, and met with veteran settlers and heads of the ‘Yesha Council of Settlements’, and delivered a speech in which he emphasized ‘the importance of preserving settlement and our adherence to the Land of Israel,’ stressing that, ‘I said 25 years ago that we would do everything to ensure our continued adherence to the Land of Israel, to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, and to prevent attempts to uproot us from here. Thank God, what I promised – we have fulfilled.’ Claiming that the tree planted in the spot symbolizes ‘deepening our roots in the homeland and rising high, just as we promised,’ and blessed the residents of the settlement for being ‘the spearhead of our continued presence in our land.
Going back to the date of establishing this settlement, an investigation conducted by B Tselem in 2008 reveals that large areas of the settlement s built-up areas are registered in the Land Registry under the names of Palestinian owners from Ein Yabrud and Silwad. According to decisions of the occupation government and rulings issued by the Israeli Supreme Court, Israeli settlements may not be built on such lands. The built-up area of Ofra amounts to 670 dunams. According to information obtained by B Tselem from the Civil Administration, there are no state lands in this area of the 670 dunams mentioned, about 180 dunams were included in a confiscation order issued by the Israeli military commander in 1977.
According to the Civil Administration, this order constituted the implementation of a confiscation order issued by the Jordanian government in 1966 for the purpose of establishing a military camp. However, the confiscation procedures were not completed during the period of Jordanian rule, and the land was not registered in the Land Registry in the name of the Jordanian government, despite the law requiring this in the case of land confiscation. The area that the Jordanian government intended to confiscate amounted to 208 dunams, while the area included in the Israeli confiscation order amounted to 265 dunams upon ‘implementation’ of the Jordanian confiscation.
The order issued by the occupation authorities in 1977 was intended to establish the Ofra settlement, contrary to the original intention of the Jordanian government. This occurred despite the fact that the law under which the confiscation procedures were conducted doesn’t permit the confiscation of land for the purpose of establishing an Israeli settlement.
B Tselem had at the time obtained amended land registry records - from 2008 for 43 plots, 210 dunams of which are located within the built-up area of the Ofra settlement, outside the area confiscated by order of the military commander. The area covered by the confiscation order issued by the military commander at the time, and the area of the plots for which B Tselem obtained land registry records that are located within the built-up area of Ofra, amount to 390 dunams. This means that at least 58% of Ofra s built-up area is land registered in the land registry in the names of Palestinians.
The Ofra Cooperative, the body that brings together the residents of the settlement, claims to have purchased land in the area from the Palestinian owners. However, despite the legal requirement, the cooperative didn’t register these plots in the land registry and did not present any purchase documents to the Supreme Court during the legal proceedings. The claims are ‘mere allegations’ and have never been proven.
This provocative visit comes amid a dangerous development that indicates the Israeli occupation government s defiance of the International Community by accelerating the implementation of its destructive settlement project in the E1 area. On 3 of this month, the Objections Subcommittee at the Higher Planning Council of the Israeli Civil Administration issued the minutes of its hearing on objections to the settlement construction plans in the E1 area, which was held on 6 August. The hearing decided to reject all objections and recommended that the Higher Planning Council approve the plans with some minor technical amendments.
The next and final step in the approval process for the commencement of construction is the Higher Planning Council s hearing to grant the plans legal approval ‘ratification’. In an unusual move, a hearing for final approval was set for the 20th of the month at a record pace. Indeed, last Wednesday, the Civil Administration s Higher Planning Council issued its final decision approving the first settlement plans in the E1 area to the south and E1 to the east, calling for 3,410 housing units and a new settlement called ‘Ashal’, which includes 342 housing units and public buildings if the process proceeds as quickly as expected, infrastructure work could begin within a few months, and housing construction in about a year.
The Peace Now Movement commented on this by saying, ‘the E1 plan threatens Israel’s future and any chance of achieving a peaceful two-state solution. We are standing on the edge of the abyss, and the government is pushing us forward at full speed. There is a solution to the Israeli -Palestinian conflict and to the horrific war in Gaza - the establishment of a Palestinian State alongside Israel - will eventually come. The government’s annexation steps push us further away from this solution and guarantee many more years of bloodshed.’ Finance Minister and Minister of Settlement in the Army Ministry, Smotrich considered this ‘an important step that effectively erases the illusion of a two-state solution and strengthens the Jewish people’s attachment to the heart of the Land of Israel.’ Adding: ‘today we are establishing historical facts on the ground and finally achieving what has been promised for years. This is a pivotal moment for settlements, for security, and for the State of Israel as a whole.’
The Movement, the human rights organization Ir Amim, and the Association for Environmental Justice in Israel filed a joint objection to the Civil Administration s Higher Planning Council against plans to build about 3,500 housing units in the E1 area. These organizations simultaneously launched a campaign ‘in cooperation with the NGO Mehazim’ calling on the public to sign the objection, which, within a few days, had been signed by more than 1,500 people. Construction in the E1 area is fundamentally detrimental to the prospects for a two-state solution, as it divides the West Bank into two parts - north and south - and prevents the development of the central West Bank cities of Ramallah, East Jerusalem, and Bethlehem. Even from an Israeli development and planning perspective, settlement in the E1 area would do more harm than good and could weaken Jerusalem economically and socially, but in vain.
Noting that the Occupation Authorities have paved the way for this dangerous step by approving, last March, the construction of a separate road for Palestinians south of ‘E1’, linking the northern and southern parts of the West Bank, in preparation for the commencement of settlement construction, accordingly, this road will divert Palestinian traffic away from Road n. ‘1, which connects Jerusalem and Ma ale Adumim, such that the section will be used primarily by Israelis. The new road will connect the Palestinian villages in the northern West Bank with those located in the south, while diverting Palestinian vehicle traffic away from Road n. ‘1’, allowing it to be used almost exclusively by settlers and Jews between Jerusalem and Ma ale Adumim.
On the Palestinian side, the implementation of the project will harm the only remaining area of land located in the middle of the Palestinian urban between Ramallah, Jerusalem and Bethlehem, which includes about one million Palestinians. The E1 settlement plan aims to establish thousands of settlement units to connect the Ma ale Adumim settlement with Jerusalem, isolate the city from its surroundings, and divide the West Bank into two parts, thus eliminating the option of a ‘two-state solution’.
Netanyahu s visit to the Ofra settlement also coincided with an escalation in Israel s destructive settlement activities as part of this settlement expansion, the Israeli Civil Administration announced a plan to expand the Otniel settlement north of Ad-Dahriya in the Hebron Governorate. This includes the construction of 156 units on 164 dunams of Palestinian land, with a 60-day deadline to object to the decision. The city of Hebron is once again being subjected to a settlement offensive that is exacerbating the suffering of its residents and constitutes a clear violation of the agreements signed in January 1997, known as the Hebron Protocol, between the PLO and the Israeli government, which was then headed by Benjamin Netanyahu himself.
Under the aforementioned protocol, the city was divided into two areas: H1 (80%), under Palestinian control, and H2 (20%), under Israeli security control, with civil powers transferred to the Palestinian Authority. A few weeks ago, two caravans were installed in the Tel Rumeida Neighborhood, between a mosque and a Palestinian girls high school, on land that had not previously witnessed any Israeli presence. According to the Hebron Agreement Map, signed by Israel and the Palestinians in January 1997, this area falls within H1 - an area under full Palestinian control, where Israelis are prohibited by military order issued by the Israel Army.
Very recently, the Tel Rumeida area of Hebron has witnessed rapid developments. At the end of March of this year, settlers stormed the home of the Palestinian Tamimi family and established a settlement there, claiming to have purchased parts of it. This new settlement, which the settlers call ‘Gaon Yehuda Neighborhood,’ is surrounded by Palestinian homes and isolated from other settlement blocs in the city. About two months ago, the Civil Administration s Antiquities Bureau began new excavations at Tel Rumeida, aiming to expand the tourist settlement that has operated in the area in recent years, and the excavations are being conducted on land belonging to Palestinians.
According to the Israeli organization Peace Now, the new Hebron settlement represents the most egregious manifestation of Israel s control over the occupied territories. Nothing in the West Bank is more evident than this racist regime. The Netanyahu-Smotrich government imposes no restrictions, and the establishment of a new settlement within a densely Palestinian area of Hebron, particularly in an area under Palestinian control, is a provocation that undermines Israeli political and security interests. Its establishment constitutes a violation of both signed international agreements and Israeli military law. The new settlement is located on a plot of land west of the Jewish cemetery, adjacent to a mosque on one side and a girls high school on the other.
To establish the settlement, a fence was demolished and the area was prepared to receive caravans. The entrance to the adjacent school, as well as one of the entrances to the mosque, was closed immediately upon the arrival of the caravans. It should be noted that, according to the map published on the Civil Administration website, this plot is marked as part of Area H2. However, a review conducted by Peace Now of the original map attached to the 1997 Hebron Agreement confirms that the land is located in Area H1. It remains unclear why the Civil Administration amended the H2 map boundaries to include this area.

List of Israeli Assaults over the Last Week Documented by the National Bureau:
Jerusalem:
- Digging a new tunnel and conducting excavations in the western area of Al-Aqsa Mosque, starting from inside Al-Buraq Plaza near the Moroccan Gate, and passing through the Mughrabi and Al-Sharaf quarters under the Old City wall, reaching the Hebron Gate - the most important gate of the Old City, with a length between 500-550m, width between 9-15m, and its height is several meters. It includes tourist centers, museums, and Talmudic paths, to promote false Israeli narratives and brainwash foreign visitors regarding the city of Jerusalem and its true history. The construction of the tunnel and excavations is supervised by: the Israeli ‘Antiquities Authority’, the occupation municipality in Jerusalem, the so-called ‘Wailing Wall Heritage Fund’, and settlement associations, with official and -dir-ect support from the Netanyahu’s government. Al-Buraq Square, as is well known, is an integral part of Al-Aqsa Mosque and is considered one of the most famous landmarks in the city of Jerusalem that took control of it in 1967. The excavations carried out by the occupation authorities are accompanied by the extraction of stones, rocks and archaeological soil from the area, which contains hundreds of Arab and Islamic antiquities dating back to the Roman, Byzantine and Canaanite periods. The occupation authorities have delivered dozens of demolition and displacement orders to a number of families in the Jabal al-Baba community, which increases their suffering and threatens to evict the community of its residents.
- Issuing demolition and evacuation orders for more than 13 residential, agricultural and industrial facilities in the Wadi al-Hawd area in the al-Eizariya town, as part of a plan to pave the way for the so-called ‘Fabric of Life Road’ settlement project.
Hebron:
- Injuring a number of citizens when settlers under the protection of the occupation forces, attacked the homes of the Shreiteh family in the village of Susiya in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron. The attack resulted in the wife of Nasser Shreiteh and his children sustaining bruises and contusions, who were treated in the field. The settlers also damaged a vehicle after smashing its windows and body.
- Setting up 3 tents on citizens lands to establish a new settlement outpost and raised flags around the tents in the Masafer Yatta, in the Hawara area. They also brought household appliances, furniture and furnishings. Settlers also released a large number of sheep and cows among citizens homes and on their lands in a provocative move to pressure residents and harm their trees, property and crops.
- Preventing citizens from accessing their lands in the Al-Halawa village in Masafer area, claiming that it is a training and shooting area.
- Burning 10 dunams of agricultural land planted with vines, almond trees, olive trees in the town of Sa ir. In Al-Masafer, settlers also attacked the homes of citizens in the village of Susya and assaulted citizen Khader Jumaa Al-Nawaj a and his wife Fatima Khalil Al-Nawaj a, which led to their injury to the head and hands after they were assaulted with sticks and batons. They were transferred to Yatta Governmental Hospital. Citizen Shaker Hamed Al-Zaro said that a number of settlers assaulted him and his son Faraj while they were inspecting their agricultural land in the Jales area near the Kiryat Arba settlement, causing them injuries to the head, limbs and chest. In the town of Halhul, s
- Attacking citizens in the Khiran area in Halhul, and assaulted them, resulting in the injury of the elderly woman Najla Hussein Aqel, 59 with a deep wound to her head, and the injury of a child and a young man from the same family with wounds and bruises.
- Banning work on a house under construction belonging to citizen Fayez Al-Ka’bneh and prevented the extension of a water pipeline in the village of Al-Zweidin. Note that the house is located within the structural and regulatory plan for the village, which makes stopping construction an illegal procedure.
Bethlehem:
- Demolishing 2 barracks in the Al-Khader town in the Um Rukba area, belonging to the citizen Yusef Salah, under the pretext of not having a license.
- Demanding the evacuation of the house of the citizen Nassar Rashaida, which was built in the shape of a tent with an aluminum roof in the Khallet Um Al-Hasan area, east of the village of Kisan. They threatened to burn down the house and attack his family if he didn’t vacate the place within 24 hours.
Ramallah:
- Raiding a house belonging to Moh’d Abayat in the eastern area of Um Safa village and attempted to attack him before residents confronted them, forcing them to withdraw to the new outpost on Jabal al-Ras.
- Attacking citizens vehicles and threw stones at them, damaging several of them in the town of Turmusiya, north of Ramallah.
- Attacking the Wadi al-Limon area and stormed a swimming pool in the village of Aboud, others attacked the Marj Sa i area, west of al-Mughayir village, burning agricultural rooms and a number of farmers vehicles, and cutting down olive trees.
- Storming the eastern area of the town of Atara, burning 4 vehicles and parts of a house. They also wrote racist slogans on the walls, while the occupation army stormed the area to provide protection, broke olive trees, stole agricultural equipment, and attempted to assault the owners of the land belonging to the brothers Mah’d and Moh’d Abdullah Hammad, preventing them from entering. They broke and completely vandalized the surveillance cameras and lights, and deliberately let their livestock loose on the 6-dunam land, destroying crops and trees. Noting that the land is adjacent to the settlement outpost established by the settlers about a week ago.
- Bulldozing lands in the mountains of the town of Deir Dibwan, east of Ramallah, with the aim of facilitating the movement of settlers and linking the settlement outposts to each other, where others began paving a new settlement road in the lands of the village of Um Safa in the eastern area of the village.
- Attacking houses in the town of Turmusiya, north of Ramallah, under the protection of the occupation forces, causing bruises to a citizen, his son and brother, and then smashed the windows of his home.
Nablus:
- Releasing their livestock among the trees in the Khirbet Yanun area near the town of Aqraba, south of Nablus, threatening agricultural lands and the property of Palestinian citizens, restricting them and depriving them of their lands.
- Uprooting a number of olive and grape trees in the Abu Saifi and Al-Shakara areas in the village of Duma, south of Nablus, and prevented citizens from accessing their lands in the same area, threatening to kill them if they tried to approach.
- Establishing a settlement outpost, erecting tents, placing caravans and raising the occupation flags on the Qarqafa Mount, opposite the entrance to the town of Aqraba.
Salfeet:
- Burning the property of a citizen in the town of Az-Zawiya, west of Salfeet, and forcibly expelled him from his land in the ‘Khallet Hamad’ area, west of the town. They set fire to an agricultural barn, including its agricultural equipment and tools, in addition to eight old olive trees, and destroyed a well for collecting rainwater, causing huge material losses.
Jordan Valley:
- Raiding the Nabaa Ghazal al-Farisiya community in the northern Jordan Valley, assaulting filled plastic water tanks, pouring them on the ground, and cutting the pipes leading to their tents.
- Releasing their livestock among residents homes and prevented them from grazing their livestock in the village of Shalla al-Auja, north of Jericho, after storming it in an attempt to impose their control over the land and deprive residents of its benefits.
- Storming the tents of citizen Shamekh Daraghmeh in al-Farisiya in the northern Jordan Valley, causing fear among children and women in the village of Shalla al-Auja, north of Jericho, forced 2 families to leave, namely the families of Ayed Musa Ka abneh and Ibrahim Ayed Ka abneh, after they were subjected to violent attacks inside the vicinity of their homes. The settlers surrounded them, severely beat them, and made -dir-ect death threats.

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