Unauthorized settlements in occupied West Bank, says Advocacy Group

Under cover of the war in Gaza, Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank have taken a “wave” of illicit steps to expand their footprint in the area, according to a report by Peace Now, an Israeli advocacy group that opposes settlements and follows their progress.

Peace Now’s settlement watch team said it has recorded the creation of nine new so-called wild settlements, which have not been approved by the Israeli government and appear to consist largely of temporary structures. The team also said it has documented the construction of more than a dozen new dirt trails and roads.

In addition, the report found, settlers have fenced off open areas in the part of the West Bank under full Israeli control to block access for Palestinian herders. Several of the outposts and roads are on private Palestinian land, the report said, in violation of Israeli law.

The activities heighten already unusually high tensions in the West Bank, where violence and Israeli military attacks have spiraled over the past year. Palestinian militias have carried out shooting attacks on Israelis; frequent raids by the Israeli army have led to thousands of arrests and have often been deadly; and extremist Jewish settlers have swept through Palestinian villages and burned property.

While the settler actions documented by Peace Now are not condoned by Israel, the far-right coalition that took power in December 2022 supports settlement expansion and includes extremist settlers seeking to annex all or part of the West Bank. Israel has in the past retroactively authorized settlements it previously considered illegal.

Most countries consider the construction of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem to be a violation of international law. Israel captured these areas from Jordan during the 1967 Middle East war. The Palestinians see that land as part of a future independent state, which is becoming less and less viable due to settler expansion.

“The three months of war in Gaza are being exploited by settlers to establish facts on the ground,” Peace Now said in a statement, citing what it described as a “tolerant military and political environment” that allowed land seizures “ virtually uncontrolled.” , with minimal compliance with the law.”