Colonial Settlements are expanding in Areas (A) and (B) in the West Bank.

Settlement Weekly Report 29 August – 4 Sept, 2026
By: Madeeha Al-A’raj


The ‘National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Settlements stated in its latest weekly report , that the pace of developments on the ground in the West Bank is accelerating in a way that couldn’t have been expected when the 1995 Interim Agreement and the agreements that followed were signed. This is especially in light of the successive measures taken by the Netanyahu - Smotrich - Ben Gvir government to undermine those agreements by invading Area C and stripping the Palestinian Authority of many of its powers in Areas A and B.

In Sept. 1995, the Palestinian and Israeli sides signed the Interim Agreement ‘Oslo II’, which divided the West Bank into 3 areas: ‘A and B’, about 40% of the West Bank, where 2 areas under Palestinian civil control, and Area C. about 60% of the West Bank under full Israeli control, for a transitional period pending an agreement on permanent status. By May 1999, since no agreement on permanent status was signed, the temporary arrangements remained in effect.

Consequently, all civil powers in Areas A and B, including planning and construction, law enforcement, environmental affairs, and archaeology, remained exclusively with the Palestinian Authority. It was also agreed at the time (not an agreement) that the vital area of the settlements should not exceed the-limit-s of fifty meters from the construction areas.

However, over the decades, Israeli governments have worked to reduce and undermine the Palestinian presence in Area C. The situation worsened during the era of right-wing governments, of which Netanyahu was president, over the past 2 years, settlers have established at least 26 settlement outposts and pastoral farms in Area B. Some Israeli military and government officials claim that they can be removed, and several enforcement actions have already been taken against them in the past, but in real, it was rebuilding, multiplying and expanding.

At the end of 2024, Peace Now’s settlement monitoring team documented seven new settlement outposts in Area B. Since then, 19 more settlement outposts have been added in the same area, most of them in recent months, with the accompanying construction of roads, the seizure of water sources, and the displacement of Palestinian communities from large areas, as in other West Bank settlement outposts, those in Area B show that a small number of settlers are able to effectively control large areas and restrict Palestinian access to them.

Besides, the outposts established in areas under the control of the Palestinian Authority, settlers forcibly seized more than 100,000 dunams in Areas A and B. This is evident from maps prepared by the Israeli human rights organization Kerem Navot and recently published in a joint report with the Israeli Peace Now Movement entitled ‘The Miracle Year’. Settlers from outposts in Areas C and B used violence and threats to expel Palestinians and prevent them from accessing 100,000 dunams in areas under the control of the Palestinian Authority: 55,000 dunams in Area B, about 28,200 dunams in the “agreed-upon nature reserve” in Area B, and 15,600 dunams.

The Occupation Authorities are using military seizure orders in Area A for civilian purposes, as they claim, in an unprecedented manner. Last Feb, the Ministerial Security Council decided ‘Resolution B/228’ to allow the Civil Administration to enforce and monitor areas ‘A and B’ regarding environmental, water, and antiquities affairs. According to the council, the purpose of enforcement is to prevent environmental risks, water violations, and damage to heritage sites.

In July of this year, the Commander of the Central Region, Major General Avi Bluth, signed 15 seizure orders to control about 200 dunums within Area A. With the aim of constructing a transport road between two new settlements, ‘Emek Dotan, next to the Palestinian town of Arraba, and Noa, north of the town of Qabatia. This is the first time since the Oslo Accords that military seizure orders have been used in Area A not for a clear´-or-temporary security need, but rather to meet the needs of the settlers.

This step comes in the wake of the Security Ministerial Council’s decision to establish 104 new settlements, including 19 new settlements in the northern West Bank (after repealing the Law of Disengagement). The location of some of these settlements requires passage through Area A, which is a violation of agreements concluded between Israel and the Palestinians.

Last July, the Knesset Finance Committee also approved the transfer of NIS 113 million to the Civil Administration for the development and preservation of archaeological sites in the West Bank. During the discussion, a representative of the Civil Administration acknowledged that part of the budget was allocated for excavations and the development of sites located in Areas ‘A and B’.

Days later, Minister Smotrich issued a statement saying that the steering committee established to oversee archaeological projects in the West Bank had approved a plan to implement the NIS 113 million allocated to the Civil Administration. The statement included a photo of Minister Smotrich during his visit to Solomon’s Pools, in Area (A) near Bethlehem, with the caption: ‘Smotrich at Solomon’s Pools, one of the sites to be -restore-d under the NIS 113 million.’

Noting that about a year and a half ago, the occupation government assumed law enforcement powers in parts of Area B, which is classified as an ‘agreed upon natural reserve’ (the Bethlehem wilderness), which led to the suspension of Palestinian development and construction projects, and to demolition operations in areas subject, according to the agreements, to the authority of the Palestinian side.

We also recall the Israeli Cabinet’s approval of decisions requiring the transfer of licensing, building and municipal administration powers in the city of Hebron from the Hebron Municipality to the ‘Israeli Civil Administration’, in addition to the establishment of a separate municipal settlement entity within the city in a clear assault on powers that are originally the responsibility of the Palestinian side.

Settler violence also plays a role in this process, contributing to the displacement of more than 120 Palestinian communities and encampments across the West Bank, most of them Bedouin´-or-herding communities. Among them were at least 19 Palestinian communities in Area B. In addition to targeting herders and Bedouin communities, settlers have also begun taking over homes on the outskirts of Palestinian communities, including in Area B.

Peace Now estimates that this includes dozens of homes. Settlers repeatedly attack residents, threaten them, and at times surround their homes, ultimately forcing families to leave. One recent case is the Tubasi family from the village of Jalud, which endured prolonged harassment by settlers until they effectively imposed a siege on the family, cutting off its water and electricity. The family was forced to leave its home, which settlers subsequently took over and turned into an outpost.

Amid the accelerating settlement activities ahead of the upcoming Israeli Knesset elections, a ceremony was held last Monday to establish a new settlement named ‘Noa’, south of the settlements of ‘Ganim and Kadim’, which were built on citizens’ lands southeast of Jenin. The move reflects growing official Israeli support for settlement expansion in the Jenin Governorate, particularly in areas from which Israeli settlements were evacuated in 2005 as part of the ‘Disengagement plan’. The area has recently witnessed the establishment of settlement outposts, along with expanded land leveling, road construction, and the seizure of Palestinian land.

The establishment of the new settlement is part of a broader plan to impose new settlement realities on the ground by establishing new settlement communities and expanding existing ones. This threatens Palestinian agricultural lands and the geographic contiguity between towns and cities in the Jenin Governorate and its surrounding areas. Hebrew-language websites reported that the new settlement is the eighth established by the Northern West Bank Settlement Council in less than a year, as part of the so-called “Continuity Plan” led by the council, which aims to establish 19 new settlements in the northern West Bank.

The settlement was inaugurated in the presence of Yossi Dagan, head of the Northern West Bank Settlement Council, Miki Zohar, the Israeli occupation government’s Minister of Culture and Sports-;- and Orit Strock, the Minister of Settlement and National Missions. The project is linked to the so-called ‘One Million in Samaria Plan’, adopted by the Northern West Bank Settlement Council, which aims to increase the number of settlers in the area to one million.

On the same day, Israeli FM Smotrich announced the allocation of 370 dunams of the lands of Abu Dis and Arab Al-Sawahra in the Jerusalem Governorate, south of the city of Bethlehem, for the establishment of a new settlement bearing the name ‘Mishmar Yehuda’ within the ‘Gush Etzion settlement’ cluster in the south of the occupied West Bank. He said in a post on the X platform that the allocation of lands comes within what he described as a ‘settlement revolution’, boasting about the establishment of a new ‘city’ in the region.

He added that the location of the settlement near Jerusalem represents, as he described it, an opportunity to attract young couples and strengthen settlement, and he attacked the Israeli opposition, saying that his government continues to ‘build, fortify and expand settlements’, in the face of what he described as a potential government that includes Gadi Eisenkot, Avigdor Lieberman, and Yair Golan.

In Dec. 2025, the Occupation Authorities published an advertisement for the Blue Line crew targeting about 3,380 dunums for the project, bringing the area of land being paid for the settlement to about 3,750 dunums. The announcement coincides with the preparation of the first plan for the settlement, which includes about 3,600 settlement units, in preparation for transforming it into a large settlement bloc east of Jerusalem.

The Occupation Authorities also issued a military order requisitioning land belonging to the city of Beitunia in the Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate. The military order provides for the requisitioning of 37.481 dunams of land belonging to Beitunia, under the pretext of expanding a military site established on the city’s lands, adjacent to the ‘Beit Horon settlement’. According to the military order, the so-called officer for the affairs of the occupation army’s Ministry of Army is entitled to full possession of the land for the duration of the order, which was set at 60 days from the date of its signing.

The Occupation Authorities have also begun leveling dozens of dunams in the town of Deir Ballut, in the Salfeet Governorate, in the ‘Abu al-Rayat’ area on the western side of the town, adjacent to a recently established pastoral settlement outpost. Three military bulldozers have been used in the operation, which began on August 30 with the aim of taking control of agricultural land. Noting that Deir Ballut and its western lands lie within an area targeted for the expansion of the western settlement belt in the SalfEEt Governorate, which includes major settlements such as ‘Leshem and Pedu’el.’

To the east of Al-Bireh, the Israeli occupation authorities are tightening their grip on Palestinian land through military measures surrounding the settlement of Psagot, a move will further isolate areas and restrict access for their owners. To this end, they confiscated more than 15 dunams of the city s land under a military order aimed at establishing a ‘security corridor about 4 km long around the Psagot settlement, which is built on Palestinian land in the Jabal Taweel area east of the city.

The Al-Bireh Municipality stated that it received the military order on August 25th, despite it being dated June 2025 - more than a year after its issuance. The municipality believes the delay in notification raises questions about its reasons and its impact on the landowners ability to object and protect their rights. The municipality explained that the order targets land surrounding the Psagot settlement on the eastern and southern sides, as well as part of the western side, under the pretext of using it for military purposes, noted that the land belongs to residents of Al-Bireh, most of who hold American citizenship.

Last week, the Occupation Authorities also inaugurated a new settlement called ‘Ma’ale Arogot’ within the ‘Gush Etzion’ settlement bloc in the southern West Bank. The settlement is located along an axis linking the western and eastern parts of the ‘Gush Etzion’ bloc. The bloc’s regional council said that its establishment aims to strengthen the settlement presence in the area and create territorial continuity between the different parts of the bloc. The inauguration was attended by the occupation government’s FM Smotrich, Zeev Elkin, Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Amichai Chikli, Minister of Diaspora Affairs-;- Boaz Bismuth, and Yaron Rosenthal, Chairman of the Gush Etzion

List of Israeli Assaults over the Last Week Documented by the National Bureau:
Jerusalem:
- Handing over 30 demolition orders to houses, walls, agricultural structures, and livestock pens in the Anata town after raiding the Wa ar Beik area. The orders were posted in the town, under the pretext of building without a permit.
- Changing the names of streets, landmarks, and historical sites in occupied Jerusalem, as part of a policy aimed at erasing their inherited Arabic names and imposing Hebrew names. The Jerusalem Governorate reported that crews from the occupation authorities installed a sign bearing the name ‘Old Gate’ while simultaneously removing signs bearing the name ‘Damascus Gate’, one of the most prominent gates of the Old City of Jerusalem, historically and geographically linked to the city and its Arab identity.
Bethlehem:
- Fencing land near an outpost established in the Jabal-Qarn area of Minya town, amid fears that this move is a prelude to seizing the land and imposing a new reality on the ground.
- Bulldozing land to expand the settlement s perimeter fence at the expense of privately owned land belonging to Nahalin residents, threatening the confiscation of dozens of dunams in the Wadi al-Jamala and al-Kabarat areas, located below the fence of the Beitar Illit settlement opposite Nahalin town.
- Establishing an outpost in the Jabal Ain al-Faqih area of Nahalin, in addition to demolishing several houses as part of a previous decision affecting 14 houses and structures distributed across several areas of the town.
- Injuring a Palestinian man and his son from the Khader town, sustained bruises and cuts after being attacked by settlers in the village of Husan.
- Storming the Za tara wilderness and positioned themselves in the Wadi Mu allaq area, engaging in provocative and disruptive behavior towards Palestinian residents.
- Expanding an outpost, erecting mobile homes and raising Israeli flags in the Ush Ghrab area, east of Beit Sahour.
- Attacking Palestinian vehicles with stones, injuring Ziad Saeed Ghazal and damaging other vehicles in the village of Kisan.
- Erecting a new settlement tent in the Jamla area, in the village of al-Minya, while others began removing and stealing gates that Palestinian farmers had placed at the entrances to their agricultural lands in the Abu Najim and Khala il al-Luz areas.
Ramallah:
- Seizing a public park in the Wadi Hamd area of Kafr Ni ma village. The park, which covers two and a half dunams, was established 2 years ago, funded by the European -union- and is located in Area B. The settlers placed an iron gate at its entrance and raised the Israeli flag.
- Injuring 6 Palestinians in the Mughayyir village, some by live ammunition, during an attack by settlers, protected by Israeli occupation forces. In another attack, three Palestinians were wounded by gunfire while confronting an incursion by armed settlers into the village. One of the wounded was shot with live ammunition fired by Israeli soldiers who were providing protection for a group of settlers during their incursion into the western part of the village. Two days prior, the settlers had begun establishing a new settlement outpost on more than 100 dunams of village land. North of Ramallah.
- Bulldozing land on the eastern side of Turmusayya town, with the aim of expanding the Shilo settlement and other outposts they recently established in the area.
Nablus:
- Storming Islamic shrines in the Awarta village, under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, and performed Talmudic rituals there.
- Attacking Palestinian houses in the Dhahra area on the outskirts of the Beita town, south of Nablus, vandalized one of them.
- Attacking workers and the owners of a house under construction in the besieged Ras al-Ain area west of the Qusra town, injured 4 people.
- Occupying the house of the Tubasi family in the village of Jalud assaulted the parents and a foreign press team who were accompanying the family near their occupied home.
- Preventing Palestinians from performing Friday prayers at the al-Wali and al-Hajj Hussein mosques in the Khirbet Tana.
- Storming the Awarta village under the protection of the Israeli army, and performed Talmudic rituals at Islamic shrines.
- Setting fire to parts of a mosque in the village of Bazaria and wrote hostile slogans on the Noor al-Din Zangi Mosque in the center of the village, before setting fire to a room located at the back of the mosque.
Jenin:
- Injuring 2 Palestinians after being brutally assaulted by settlers near the recently established settlement of HaEmek Dotan, built on land belonging to the town of Arraba, south of Jenin. They sustained various injuries and were transferred to a medical center for treatment.
- Bulldozing large areas of land in the Jabal al-Salma area of Raba village, east of Jenin, to widen the road leading to an outpost established by settlers in that mountainous region several months ago.
- Uprooting 450 guava trees and destroyed parts of the irrigation network and fence surrounding farmland planted about 3 years ago in Khirbet Farasin, near the town of Ya bad.
- Attacking a farm in the Arraba Plain, destroyed fig trees, irrigation hoses, and a fence, causing extensive damage to the farm.
Jodan Valley:
- Damaging 3 artesian wells and demolished livestock pens in the Khirbet Ras Al-Ahmar, southeast of Tubas, and destroyed their equipment, in addition to damaging and destroying a 300 meter long conveyor water line, demolished 3 livestock pens with a total area of more than 300m2.
- Storming the Yarza community, and grazed their livestock in the vicinity of citizens’ homes, while the occupation bulldozers demolished residential facilities and livestock in the Ras Al-Ahmar area belonging to 2 families residing in the area. Moreover, they bulldozed agricultural lands in the airport area, east of the Jericho city.

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