Israel issues four new military orders to seize Palestinian land in the northern West Bank

New orders and an outpost near Hebron

Israel has issued four military orders to seize Palestinian land in the north of the occupied West Bank, it was reported on Tuesday by the Palestinian Commission Against the Wall and Settlements. The orders cover about 165 dunams (40.7 acres) in Qalqilya, Nablus, Tubas and the northern Jordan Valley. They allow new seizures and expand the scope of earlier directives, citing military purposes.

Stated purposes and consequences for residents

The Commission linked the measures to the creation of buffer zones around illegal settlement outposts, the expansion of roads serving the settlements, and the strengthening of military positions. It warned that the consequences may extend beyond the plots being directly seized: Palestinians will face restricted access to the surrounding areas. The human rights group Al-Baidar reported that Israeli settlers have established a new outpost in the Khumsa area near Dura, south of Hebron; the group warned that this will enable further encroachment onto Palestinian land and threatens residents' ability to remain in the area.

The scale over three years

According to the Commission, in October settlers made attempts to establish 28 illegal outposts across the West Bank, including nine in the Hebron governorate. Over three years since October 2023, Israel has, according to the Commission's estimate, seized or taken control of about 64,000 dunams (15,814 acres) through 231 military orders and measures. According to official Palestinian figures, around 750,000 Israeli settlers live in 194 illegal settlements and 400 outposts in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The figures cited come from Palestinian bodies; no independent verification is provided in the publication.