Israel Reneges on Agreement with the Palestinians , Decides to deepen Settlement and accelerates Annexation

By: Madeeha Al-A’raj
Settlement Weekly Report 7 - 13 April, 2025

The ‘National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Settlements stated in its latest weekly report , that the priorities of the Israeli Government, led by Netanyahu, have changed, as he promised to achieve a decisive victory and eliminate Hamas in the Gaza Strip, but now chooses to topple the Palestinian Authority, nullifies the agreements signed with the Palestine Liberation Organization - PLO, and imposes a de facto annexation of the occupied West Bank in accordance to a report issued last week by the Israeli Peace Now Movement. Under the report, the Israeli Security Cabinet decided on 8 Feb. 2026 to implement a series of measures enabling Israelis to purchase land in the occupied West Bank without restrictions´-or-government oversight.
A move grants some settlers the power to create facts on the ground without government intervention and opens the door to real estate fraud. Furthermore, it strips the Palestinian Authority of its powers in certain Areas A and B, and in Hebron, in a blatant violation of International Law and the international agreements signed with the Palestinian side. As with all major decisions regarding settlement policy, such a decision was taken by the Security Cabinet and not by the government in order to keep the decisions secret from local, regional and International Public Opinion.
The Israeli cabinet s decision to repeal the law in force in the West Bank since the Jordanian era, which permitted only West Bank residents´-or-companies registered there to purchase land, has been revoked. The new law allows settlers to purchase land -dir-ectly from Palestinians. Noting that a bill to this effect was submitted to the Knesset about a year ago in an attempt to bolster the government s position, but it was halted because the West Bank is under military rule and not part of the State of Israel.
Therefore, amending the laws in force isn’t within the Knesset s jurisdiction. Land purchases by Israelis in the West Bank are considered suspicious and even treasonous, especially since Palestinian Authority laws prohibit the sale of land to Israelis. Consequently, all sales are conducted in secret and, in many cases, through forgery and fraud.
The land ownership records in the West Bank will be opened for public review that was previously classified as secret, The reasons for this secrecy include preventing forgery and fraud in real estate transactions, protecting the abandoned properties of Palestinians who left the West Bank over the years, safeguarding the privacy of those involved in transactions, and protecting the lives of Palestinians who sold their land to Israelis. The secrecy significantly hinders settlers seeking to seize land, whether covertly´-or-through forgery and fraud.
Settlers have been pressuring governments to open the records for public scrutiny, and the far-right Regavim movement even petitioned the Supreme Court on this matter, a petition which was rejected. The decision also includes renewing the mechanism for land purchases by the so-called Custodian of Lands in the West Bank. Previously, a government mechanism ‘operating secretly’ was in place for purchasing land from Palestinians in the occupied territories. According to the Peace Now, the purchases were carried out by Himanuta, a subsidiary of the Jewish National Fund ‘Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael’, at the request of the Custodian of Lands. The Cabinet has now decided to reactivate this government mechanism that works to purchase land from Palestinians.
According to the published details of the decision, the so-called law enforcement agencies in Areas A and B will operate in the areas of heritage and archaeological sites, environmental hazards, and water violations. They will be able to demolish Palestinian buildings in these areas if they deem them to be damaging to heritage´-or-antiquities,´-or-if they harm the environment´-or-water resources. This includes landfills and incinerators, polluting factories,´-or-even small businesses´-or-homes that can be considered environmental hazards. In the area of heritage and antiquities, the potential for damage to development and property is very high, especially since the West Bank is rich in archaeological sites.
Noting that the Israeli Knesset approved in its first reading last week, a bill aimed at allowing Israel to conduct monitoring activities in the field of antiquities in Areas A and B. The government is now pushing this bill through without the need for Knesset legislation. About a year and a half ago, the government assumed law enforcement powers in parts of Area B, which is classified as an ‘agreed reserve’, leading to the cessation of Palestinian development and construction projects, and to demolitions in areas that, according to the agreements, fall under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.
The Security Cabinet also decided that the Civil Administration would assume planning and building authority at the Ibrahimi Mosque and within the settlement area of Hebron. According to international agreements signed by Israel the Hebron Protocol of January 1997, planning and building authority in Hebron rests with the Hebron Municipality. The government now seeks to allow the expansion of settlements and alterations to the site without the municipality s consent. This would enable Israel to develop existing outposts in the city, construct additional settlements, and unilaterally -alter-the Al-Ibrahimi Mosque.
Besides, the Security Cabinet decided to establish a special management system for Rachel s Tomb in Bethlehem, allowing the government to allocate budgets for the development of the site and the adjacent religious school. This is similar to what occurred about a decade ago in Hebron, when the government established the Hebron Municipal Committee, authorized to manage municipal affairs for Israelis only, and funded by the Ministry of the Interior with NIS 5 million annually.
In a post on the X platform, Smotrich commented on the decisions as saying: ‘The Cabinet approved a series of decisions that I formulated with Army Minister Katz, aimed at removing old obstacles and promoting settlement in Judea and Samaria i.e. ‘the occupied West Bank’ in an organized and responsible manner.’ He considered that one of the central steps is opening the land registries in Judea and Samaria to the public, and canceling old Jordanian instructions that prohibited the sale of land to Jews and imposed complex permitting mechanisms.
From now on, it will be possible to purchase land in Judea and Samaria through simpler and more transparent procedures, similar to what is happening in the Green Line areas, and transferring the authority to issue building permits in the Jewish Quarter and at holy sites in Hebron from Palestinian mechanisms to the planning institutions of the Civil Administration, and strengthening the Hebron Governorate s authority to -dir-ectly address the municipal needs of the residents, and establishing a special municipal -dir-ectorate at Rachel s Tomb to handle basic services and ongoing maintenance.
In addition to monitoring and enforcement work in the areas of water, antiquities, and environmental risks, including in Areas A and B in order to protect the natural resources and heritage of the entire area. The head of the settlement council in the West Bank, Yisrael Gantz described the decisions as historic and said they end years of preventing settlers from personally purchasing land after Israel decided to assume responsibility for the West Bank areas, as had been expected of it for years. He called for going to beyond the decisions and the relentless pursuit to bury the Oslo Accords forever.
Within the context, 8 Arab and Islamic countries expressed their rejection last Monday of the new Israeli measures, which aim to impose illegitimate sovereignty and entrench settlements in the occupied West Bank. This came in a joint statement by the foreign ministers of Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Indonesia, and Pakistan. The European -union- also condemned the new measures taken by Israel to strengthen its control over the occupied West Bank and pave the way for the construction of more settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. The US Administration merely indicated its opposition to annexation.
In a move described as a comprehensive ‘settlement coup’ led by Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Israel s Ch. 7 revealed that the Israeli Interior Ministry granted ‘municipal codes’ to 5 new settlement outposts on 5 February as a part of a systematic plan to legalize unauthorized construction and transform it into officially recognized settlements. Smotrich stated, ‘Homesh ‘in the northern West Bank’ received a settlement code, along with 4 other settlements, namely: Yodiv in the Hebron Hills, Givat in Gush Etzion in the south, Beitron in the Jordan Valley, and Kedem Arava in the north.’ Adding, ‘During the past month, we managed to secure 20 new settlement codes, thus completing the process of formalizing them.’
A settlement code is an administrative and legal step that represents government recognition of the existence of settlements. The new settlement decision also included the Havat Gilad outpost, built on privately owned Palestinian land, adding it to the list of recognized settlements. Under this code, the settlements will be able to receive municipal service budgets, be connected to the electricity, water, and sewage infrastructure, and legally expand their construction according to Israeli standards. The move coincides with record numbers for the ‘Religious Zionist movement within the government-;- the status of 20 other settlements has been regularized in the past few months.
The Israeli Yediot Aharonot Newspaper revealed that the occupation authorities have decided to allocate millions of shekels to a government department known as the ‘Hilltop Youth Administration’ in the West Bank. The aim is to train members of the ‘Hilltop Youth (a term used to refer to extremist groups) for integration into the Israeli army, as part of Israel s ongoing efforts to expand and consolidate its control over the region. The move comes within the context of what the Ministry of Army calls ‘addressing’ the escalating attacks by settlers against Palestinian citizens in the West Bank.
The Newspaper had reported last November that the Ministry of Army would establish an administration to coordinate and improve responses to ‘at-risk’ settlers, an initiative of Minister Yisrael Katz. The administration s objective is to coordinate and synchronize all activities of government ministries and settlement regional councils to implement the plan. It will analyze data and trends related to young settlers in outposts and pastoral farms and work to remove obstacles necessary to address their deviant behavior.
The administration s structure will be determined in coordination with the Civil Service Commission, and the Ministry of Army will be allocated two million shekels annually until 2028. According to the newspaper, over the past 3 years, about 150 settlement farms have been established in the West Bank, stretching from Hebron through Bethlehem and the central West Bank, ending in the Palestinian Jordan Valley and the northern regions.
Within the context, the UN warned of the continued displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank amid escalating settler violence. The UN stated last Thursday that attacks and harassment by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank resulted in the displacement of 700 Palestinians during January, the highest rate recorded in years. According to figures released by the (OCHA), based on data compiled by several UN agencies, at least 694 Palestinians were forcibly displaced from their homes last month.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that, by the end of January, settler violence had become a major factor in forced displacement in the West Bank. Displacement surged particularly in January due to the complete displacement of the Ras Ein-Auja Community in the Jordan Valley, where 130 families left their homes after months of harassment. Meanwhile, European diplomats visited the Batn al-Hawa and al-Bustan Neighborhoods in the Silwan town and witnessed the suffering of the Palestinian residents there.
The visit came amid an unprecedented escalation in forced evictions, demolitions, and takeovers of Palestinian homes by settlers. Fourteen families were recently evicted, and another 30 families about 175 people face imminent threat, with the potential for the forced displacement of over 2,000 people in the Silwan Neighborhood. Similarly, settler violence last week forced 15 families from their homes in the Deir Al-Deik village, west of Jericho, leaving scores of Palestinians, including children, women, and elderly, homeless amidst an atmosphere of worry and horror.
List of Israeli Assaults over the Last Week Documented by the National Bureau:

Jerusalem:
- Forcing Amjad Naji Faraj, a resident of the Shuman Neighborhood in Beit Hanina to demolish his own home under the pretext of building without a permit. Similarly, Raed Abdel Aziz Dabash and his son were forced to demolish their homes in Sur Baher under the same pretext.
- Demolishing a vehicle repair shop in Beit Hanina and raided the Wadi al-Beik area in Anata, handing over demolition notices to owners of 11 apartments in the Batn al-Hawa Neighborhood of Silwan were notified that they must vacate by 23 March, 2016, under the pretext of ‘Jewish ownership’ of the land on which the houses are built. This threatens 60 Palestinians with the loss of their homes and forced displacement.
- Demolishing a building materials shop belonging to Jerusalemite Muhammad Abdul Awda, as well as several iron fences and roofs in the he Bir Ayoub Neighborhood of Silwan.
- Conducting provocative tours through the alleys of the Old City and at the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque, verbally assaulting worshippers.
- Arresting 2 of the Al-Aqsa Mosque guards after they confronted settler provocations within the mosque s courtyards, and issued immediate expulsion orders against them at the settlers request.
- Storming the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood in Silwan, provoked residents and threatened to demolish their businesses.
- Attacking the Armenian Church in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem by spitting on its entrance, a provocative act that sparked outrage and condemnation.
Hebron:
- Placing caravans on Palestinian-owned land in the Wadi Simsim area, on land belonging to the Al-Dhahiriya town.
- Storming the Mount Tarousa, west of the Dura town, performed provocative Talmudic rituals.
- Assaulting journalists who attempted to document the violations in the southern Hebron Hills, fenced off new areas of Palestinian land in the Deir Razeh area, attempted to expand a recently established settlement outpost.
- Spraying chemical pesticides on agricultural crops in several areas of Masafer Yatta.
- Expanding a newly established settlement outpost on Palestinian-owned land adjacent to the settlement of Otniel, in the Umm al-Amad area south of Hebron.
- Razing large areas of Palestinian land towards Khallat al-Farra, west of Yatta. The bulldozing included widening roads, constructing infrastructure, and preparing the land for confiscation for the outpost and the addition of new caravans.
- Attacking shepherds in the Wadi Abu Shaban area of Masafer Yatta, firing shots at them. Other settlers seized several caves in Khirbet al-Tabat, also in Masafer Yatta, belonging to the Hamamda and Atiri families, and settled there with their sheep, which they released onto Palestinian-owned land planted with trees and crops.
Bethlehem:
- Storming the Al-Minya village, and the Khallat al-Nahla area in Wadi Rahal, assaulted residents, expelled them from their agricultural lands, prevented them from working their fields, and released their sheep to graze on the crops, damaged the residents livelihoods.
- Attacking a mosque located between the villages of Kisan and Al-Minya, vandalized it, stolen carpets, cut wires, and grazed their sheep in the trees surrounding the mosque.
- Issuing stop-work orders for ten homes in the village of Al-Minya, southeast of Bethlehem, under unlicensed claims.
Ramallah:
- Storming the Ein Samia Station east of Kafr Malik, assaulted employees of the Jerusalem Water Authority and completely destroyed the station s contents. The Water Authority announced that this attack led to a complete halt in pumping and threatened to deprive more than 100,000 residents in 19 communities of drinking water.
- Blocking the road connecting Rammun and Deir Dibwan, severely beated 2 Palestinians, 1 of who sustained a head injury and was hospitalized, while the other suffered bruises.
- Chopping branches of about 20 olive trees in the northern plains of Turmusaya before withdrawing towards the Adei Ad settlement outpost, and attacked the Abu Awad family home in the town.
Nablus:
- Attacking Palestinian vehicles near the Huwwara Military Checkpoint south of the city, shattered the windows of several cars and caused panic among their passengers.
- Storming the Shakara Community in the Duma town that is at risk of forced displacement.
- Assaulting 3 young men on their land caused them bruises in Beit Ummar town.
- Attacking Palestinian farmers prevented them from plowing their land and sprayed them with chili peppers in the town of Aqriya.
- Storming the area of the artesian well belonging to the towns of Beit Furik and Beit Dajan, preventing workers from installing a water tank for the well.
Qalqilia:
- Bulldozing the vicinity of the settlement outpost established south of the town of Hajja, east of the governorate, affected areas of agricultural land, amid fears of a new settlement expansion at the expense of citizens’ lands.
Jordan Valley:
- Pursuing Palestinian shepherds in the Al-Sakout and Al-Hamma areas of the northern Jordan Valley, prevented them from accessing their grazing lands at gunpoint, in a continued attempt to displace pastoral communities.
- Injuring 3 young men in an attack by settlers in the Al-Khalla area of the northern Jordan Valley. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that its crews treated 3 people for injuries sustained from beatings-;- one was transferred to the hospital, while the other two were treated on site.
- Attacking Ayed Bani Odeh while he was herding his livestock in the Harash Atouf area, east of Tubas, and forced him to leave the area.
- Expelling farmers livestock from pastures near their tents in Khirbet Samra in the northern Jordan Valley.
- Demolishing residential and agricultural structures belonging to Palestinians in Ein al-Hilweh and al-Mayta in the northern Jordan Valley.
- Continuing attacks on the village of Deir al-Dik al-Tahta, west of Jericho, forced 15 families from the Ara ra clan to leave their homes, some made of corrugated iron and others of cement, in the Istih area. This coincided with the bulldozing of land surrounding their homes for cultivation.

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