Israel Approves New Construction and Bypass-roads Plans in Parallel with Displacement and Ethnic Cleansing

By: Madeeha Al-A’raj
Settlement Weekly Report 21 – 27 February, 2025
The ‘National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Settlements stated in its latest weekly report , tha the Israeli Higher Planning Council at the Civil Administration began discussions last Wednesday on plans to construct 1,517 housing units across the West Bank, among the four proposals on the agenda is a plan to build 1,388 units in a new neighborhood of the Kedumim settlement in the Qalqilia Governorate, known as ‘Nahlat Esther’, located south of the Palestinian village of Jit, the new neighborhood would shorten the distance between Kedumim and the settlement of Havat Gilad, where scores of housing units already exist.
The plan would also significantly expand the area, creating a residential neighborhood capable of accommodating thousands of residents. The plan was approved for deposit in May 2025, and it is expected to be presented for final approval within a relatively short timeframe, especially after the changes introduced by the Netanyahu-Smotrich government in June 2023. These changes eliminated the requirement for the Minister of Defense to approve each stage of settlement planning. Previously, every construction project in the settlements required prior approval from the aforementioned minister, who-limit-ed the number of settlement plans to approximately four times a year, allowing for the approval of thousands of housing units in a single session of the Higher Planning Council.
Under this government, however, the Higher Planning Council now meets weekly, approving several hundred housing units at each meeting. In this way, the government seeks to normalize planning in the settlements and reduce public and international criticism. With the addition of these new construction plans, the total number of housing units approved by the Higher Planning Council in 2026 will reach 2,425. Clearly, this shift to a weekly approval process not only regulates construction in the territories but also accelerates its pace. This is confirmed by the facts: in 2025, the Higher Planning Council approved 27,941 settlement housing units, an unprecedented record since the establishment of the settlement enterprise in the West Bank.
Within the details of those plans, the new settlement housing units are distributed across several settlements in various West Bank governorates, such as, Nofim settlement on the lands of Deir-Istiya in the Salfeet Governorate, 168 units, Mevo Dotan on Route 585 east of Baqa al-Gharbiya near Ya bad, 251 units, Kedar on the lands of Al-Sawahra Al-Sharqiya, 330 units, Shvut Rachel, 160 units on the lands of Turmusaya and Jalud in the Nablus Governorate-;- Alon on the lands of Anata in the Jerusalem Governorate, 1 unit, Sha arei Tikva on the lands of Azzun Atma in the Qalqilia Governorate, 126 units, Kedumim on the lands of Kafr-Qaddum in the Qalqilia Governorate, 1,338 units, and Givat Ze ev on the lands of al-Jib and Beitunia in the Jerusalem Governorate, 2 units) i.e. 2,425 settlement units, including 1,517 since the beginning of the year to.
In Hebron, the same example continues, with a settler organization called ‘Harshavi Mikom Ohalach’ i.e. ‘Expand Your Tent’ claiming to have purchased 5 homes from Palestinians in the Jabal Jalis Neighborhood of the city, about 1,300 meters east of the Ibrahimi Mosque. The homes are located in a densely populated Palestinian neighborhood. According to several sources, the Israeli army carried out a large-scale arrest operation in the neighborhood last week under cover of darkness, increasing suspicions of collusion between the army and a number of settlers who raided and occupied the homes with the aim of turning them into a settlement outpost in the aforementioned neighborhood, which is home to about 1,000 people distributed among about 100 homes, who have lived in the area for decades.
On Thursday evening, residents were surprised when dozens of settlers, under heavy protection from occupation forces stormed the neighborhood and seized 5 old buildings. They raised Israeli flags on the rooftops and erected the Star of David. Residents confirmed that the takeover followed a suspicious ‘leak’ of the properties and their transfer of ownership. That same evening, Yisrael Bramson, head of the Kiryat Arba settlement, announced from the rooftop of one of the seized buildings that the ‘Expand Your Tent s Place’ association had taken possession of five buildings in the neighborhood.
The announcement followed by a field tour of the area where the homes had been seized. The tour was conducted by the so-called commander of the Central Command of the Israeli army, Avi Blot, accompanied by the head of the infrastructure branch of the Israeli Civil Administration, Aviel Gerbi. Later, Settlement Minister Orit Strock also entered the seized homes. The seizure of the homes came after recent armed family disputes in the area, which provided the occupation forces with a pretext to storm the neighborhood under the guise of "imposing security," and they assaulted residents who were not involved in the dispute.
The Peace Now Movement commented on this, saying, ‘We are witnessing here a disturbing example of the consequences of the new government s policy on land purchases in the West Bank. A small number of property-hungry settlers will be able to create more facts on the ground in the future, which will have far-reaching political and security implications. Land purchases in the occupied territories have always been characterized by opacity, forgery, and fraud.
This is especially true after the government altered the process by transferring authority from the army to a civilian official appointed by Minister Smotrich. Previously, purchase applications underwent a thorough review, including forensic examination, before settlers were granted a purchase permit. Once Hillel Roth was appointed deputy head of the Civil Administration, the procedures for obtaining this permit were streamlined, with the requirement for a purchase permit being eliminated, along with further facilitations in the acquisition process, granting settlers complete freedom to purchase land in the West Bank.
In Nablus, the Israeli Occupation Authorities issued an official expropriation order targeting the archaeological site of Sabastia and announced the confiscation of large areas of land belonging to the towns of Sabastia and Burqa, northwest of Nablus. The Civil Administration had previously announced in November 2015 its intention to confiscate about 1,800 to 2,000 dunams of land in Sabastia and Burqa, targeting the ancient Roman archaeological site. A move, which includes the plateau and surrounding agricultural lands, aims to transform the area into a tourist site under Israeli control, impacting numerous Palestinian-owned olive groves.
The decision encompasses the complete confiscation of the plateau area, including all open spaces, historical sites, and access roads, as well as plots of land owned by residents of Sabastia and the neighboring town of Burqa, in addition to 550 agricultural plots planted with olive trees. The decision represents the latest in a series of measures targeting the area. In 2023, the Israel Antiquities Authority allocated NIS 32 million for the development and restoration of the Sabastia site.
The same year, the occupation authorities announced the allocation of NIS 120 million for the development of archaeological sites in the West Bank. In 2024, a military order was issued to confiscate land on which a military watchtower had been erected. Between 2024 and 2025, a bill was submitted to the Knesset seeking to apply Israeli antiquities law to archaeological sites in the West Bank. In 2025, the commencement of new excavation and maintenance work was announced.
In Ramallah and Jerusalem, the occupation authorities are working to expand and deepen settlements by constructing new bypass roads. Last Tuesday, they began paving a new settlement road to connect settlements east of Ramallah to Highway 443 west of the city. The road, which is no more than 6 km long, is being built on Palestinian land, properties, and demolished structures. According to Israeli media, the recent demolitions of 70 structures on the Jerusalem Airport Road north of the city, which has been closed since 1967, were carried out to facilitate the new road.
The construction of this road comes after months of harassment and various attacks on Bedouin communities near the villages of Mikhmas and Jaba northeast of Jerusalem, whose lands are targeted by the road. Route 45 extends for 6 km with a width of 60 m, from Mikhmas southwestward towards Qalandia. Upon completion, it will connect to Highway 443, which links to Israel, as part of a system of bypass roads that tighten the noose around occupied Jerusalem and redraw the surrounding landscape, according to the Jerusalem Governorate.
The cost of paving it is estimated at around NIS 400 million. Settler circles are celebrating this road, just as their official authorities are. Israeli Minister of Transportation Miri Regev considers the road further proof of the government s clear policy of connecting ‘Judea and Samaria’ I.E. the West Bank- to the center of the country through actions, not slogans. As for Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, this road is ‘a strategic artery that connects Binyamin ‘several settlements’ to the heart of the State of Israel from a security, national, and civic standpoint. This is not just an investment in infrastructure, but the realization of a vision of connectivity and growth. We are eliminating the idea of a Palestinian state and erasing it from the map’.
Moreover, settlers’ attacks on Palestinian Bedouin communities have been steadily escalating since the beginning of the year, particularly in the northern Jordan Valley. The attacks have led to the forced displacement of the last 15 Palestinian families residing in the Al-Burj Bedouin community, following a series of violent attacks targeting the community s tents and property, including arson. This forced the residents to dismantle what remained and seek alternative shelter.
The displaced residents describe the situation in the community as unbearable, as the area has become a hostile environment due to the settlers violent practices, which aim to empty the land of its rightful owners. Data indicates that the displacement policy in the Jordan Valley has reached dangerous levels, with seven Bedouin communities completely emptied of their inhabitants, while 13 others have been subjected to partial displacement.
According to data documented by the Al-Baydar Organization, 214 families living in 8 communities were affected. The most affected community is Shalal Al-Awja, which alone houses 120 families, making it the hardest hit. Smaller communities such as Tell al-Samadi, 10 families, and Wadi Abu al-Hayat, 6 families were also affected. Other Bedouin communities are also at risk of displacement, including Al-Burj, 15 families, Al-Hamma, 20 families, Al-Mayta, 20 families, Abu Hamam, 12 families, and Al-Khala’il, 11 families.
Settler attacks on Bedouin communities are not-limit-ed to the Jordan Valley-;- they extend to most Palestinian governorates, where more than 256 settlement outposts and grazing farms have become breeding grounds for Jewish terrorist organizations. Last week, 11 Palestinian families began dismantling their homes in the Khala il community, south of the town of Al-Mughayyir, and moving towards an area near Jericho, due to ongoing attacks by settlers and the Israeli occupation army. These families consist of 55 individuals, including children, the elderly, and women.
The residents of this community were displaced two years ago from the Ein Samia community in the neighboring village of Kafr Malik, under pressure and attacks from the army and settlers who pursued them to their current location. Meanwhile, settler violence and pressure continue against the Arab al-Khouli community, south of Qalqilia, with the aim of displacing them and forcing them to leave the area. It should be noted here that settler violence and terrorism caused, according to UNs’ data, the displacement of 880 Palestinian families comprising about 4,700 citizens last year.
In a dangerous and provocative move that constitutes a clear and explicit American recognition of the legitimacy of settlements in the West Bank, the US Embassy in Israel announced its intention to provide consular services to US citizens in 2 West Bank settlements, namely: Efrat and Beitar Illit. The embassy stated that this activity is part of its efforts to reach all Americans and that consular staff will be present at each location for only one day.
The settlement of Efrat, as is well known, is located in the occupied West Bank south of Bethlehem, while Beitar Illit is located near the Palestinian town of Battir, also in the Bethlehem Governorate. Both settlements are built on land occupied in 1967 and are considered illegal under International Law by the UN and the International Community.
List of Israeli Assaults over the Last Week Documented by the National Bureau:
Jerusalem:
- Forcing Majdi Atiya, a resident of the Al-Issawiya town, to demolish his own home after notifying him of the demolition order months earlier and threatening to carry it out and charge him for all the exorbitant costs, under the pretext of building without a permit.
- Handing over 23 demolition orders for residential and agricultural structures in the Um Shakhalib area, east of Abu Dis, threatening dozens of residents with displacement and the loss of their livelihoods.
- Attacking the home of Youssef Zwahra in the Khallat-Sidra Bedouin community near Mikhmas, stealing and vandalizing the contents of the tin-roofed house.
- Storming the Bir Maskoub 1 Bedouin community near the Al-Eizariya town.
- Setting fire to agricultural facilities, causing material damage to several agricultural properties in the Al-Shamis area.
- Expanding an outpost that was recently established on citizens’ land by adding new facilities and bulldozing areas of surrounding land, in an attempt to establish the outpost and turn it into a permanent point in the Anata town.
Hebron:
- Assaulting elderly Mufdi Rabai and his son Majd in the village of Tuwana while they were farming their land, causing them injuries and bruises.
- Storming the home of Ahmad Ismail al-Amour in Khirbet al-Halawa in Masafer Yatta, assaulting his family members before vandalizing and stealing the solar panels used to provide electricity to the house. They also damaged stone walls and fences in the area.
- Attacking Haitham Ayed Mur, stealing 7 sheep after chasing him and blocking his path near the al-Daqiqa area in the Yatta desert. They severely beat him, causing bruises, and broke his mobile phone.
- Setting fire to several homes, including mobile homes belonging to residents, causing significant material damage in the village of Susya.
- Chasing shepherds from the Na amin family in Khirbet Aqwawis in Wadi Sa ir.
- Seizing about 500 dunams of agricultural land, most of which was planted with olive trees, and uprooted the trees in the Jamrura area of Beit Kahil. It should be noted that the targeted land in Jamrura is part of the area designated for an industrial zone.
- Attacking residents homes, assaulting the inhabitants and physically attacking lady Wadad Makhamra in Khirbet al-Markaz in Masafer Yatta.
- Attacking the home of detainee Khalil Hamdan al-Manasra, stealing thirty sheep, killing another, and damaging the tires of his vehicle in the Jroun al-Batma area of Masafer Bani Na im,. They also threatened children with weapons to intimidate and frighten them.
Bethlehem:
- Notifying to demolish the home of Shadi Issa Skiba in the Ard al-Deir area, west of al-Khader town, after rejecting a previous appeal to halt the demolition, citing lack of a building permit. They also issued stop-work orders for several inhabited homes belonging to residents of Kisan village.
- Issuing demolition orders for 23 inhabited homes located in the areas of Bakoush, Subaiha, Wadi Salem, and Qurnat al-Da’mas in Nahalin town, giving the homeowners 24 hours to appeal the demolition orders.
- A demolition order for an agricultural room in Wadi al-Ta’amra belonging to Adel Ayed al-Bajali in Za’tara town, also citing lack of a building permit. Issuing 6 demolition orders for homes in Khirbet al-Deir, near Tuqu’ town, under the pretext of not having permits, noting that most of these homes are inhabited.
Ramallah:
- Injuring 2 Palestinians, a young man and a child in an attack by settlers on the village of Al-Mughayyir. The settlers opened fire with live ammunition after attacking Palestinian-owned land.
- Setting fire to an agricultural building in the neighboring village of Abu Falah, belonging to Musa Abu Karsh. Settlers also grazed their sheep in the Al-Mughayyir plain, near the Al-Khala il area, and vandalized property and crops.
- Attacking Palestinian homes, banging on doors and windows and causing panic and distress among the residents in Al-Mazra a Al-Sharqiya.
- Cutting down 21 olive trees in the Sahl Marj Si a area, west of Al-Mughayyir and adjacent to Abu Falah village.
- Seizing a horse and agricultural equipment in the town of Silwad. Eyewitnesses reported that settlers chased farmer Ahmed Hammad while he was plowing his land, forcing him to leave after stealing his horse and plowing equipment.
- Demolishing several homes and a poultry farm, they also stormed the area surrounding the home of Anwar Armoush on the outskirts of Ein Sinya for the second time in three days, assaulting family members and threatening them with displacement and the seizure of their home.
Nablus:
- Attacking the Al-Zobbat Neighborhood in the town of Beit Furik, under the protection of Israeli occupation soldiers and amidst heavy gunfire.
- Attacking the village of Al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, firing live ammunition and storming Jabal Tarouja and the Wadi Abwein area to the west.
- Setting fire to the Abu Bakr as-Siddiq Mosque between the towns of Sarra and Tell by pouring flammable materials on it and writing racist slogans on its walls.
- Bulldozing land, paved a road, and uprooted several olive saplings in the Wadi Yasuf area, north of Al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya. Others bulldozed land in the Wadi Ali area, southeast of the village, and surrounded it with a fence.
- Uprooting trees in the southern part of the village in yet another attack on Palestinian property and agricultural land in the village of Qaryiot.
- Demolishing an agricultural shed in the in the village of Burin area near the bypass road south of the town, which is used for raising livestock.
- Attacking citizens’ homes in the Al-Amawi community near the village of Ein Shibli. The attack included stone-throwing and attempts to damage homes and residents’ property, causing a state of fear and panic among the residents.
Salfeet:
- Launching a campaign of demolition, bulldozing, and issuing notices in the town of Deir Ballut, where they bulldozed an electricity and water network, filled in a well, demolished retaining walls, and issued stop-work orders for 5 industrial facilities. The bulldozing operation resulted in cutting off the main electricity supply to the area, which includes a number of industrial facilities, in addition to grazing areas that residents rely on for grazing their livestock.
Jordan Valley:
- Storming various areas in the northern Jordan Valley, attacking residents in Hammamat al-Malih, injuring 1, damaging 2 vehicles, and setting fire to uninhabited tents.
- Forcing shepherds to leave their grazing lands in Khirbet Samra in the northern Jordan Valley, while others began constructing a structure and raising the Israeli flag in the yard of a Palestinian resident, Ubayyat, in the village of Fasayil al-Wusta.
- Issuing demolition orders for agricultural greenhouses, distributing 10 demolition notices for greenhouses covering an area exceeding 40 dunams on the northern edge of the village of Bardala.

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