DaysofPal – Amnesty International said on Friday that Israeli authorities have intensified measures in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since last December through a series of decisions aimed at entrenching annexation and imposing it as a fait accompli.
In a statement, the organization said the steps include issuing new settlement tenders, approving the establishment of additional settlements, expanding existing ones, and advancing procedures to register land under the designation of “state land.”
On December 10, a tender was issued for the construction of 3,401 housing units in the E1 area east of Jerusalem. The plan seeks to expand the Ma’ale Adumim settlement and connect it to East Jerusalem. Amnesty warned that implementation would fragment the West Bank geographically and displace Palestinian communities living in the area.
Erika Guevara-Rosas, a senior official at Amnesty International, said Israel continues to expand settlements openly despite United Nations resolutions, an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice, and broad international condemnation. She stated that these actions defy international law and entrench a system of apartheid that harms Palestinian lives.
In December, Israel’s security cabinet approved plans to establish 19 new settlements, bringing the total number approved over the past three years to 68. The number of officially recognized settlements now stands at about 210, with approximately 750,000 Israeli settlers residing in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
The Israeli group Peace Now reports that in 2025 alone, 86 new settlement outposts were created, the majority of which were agricultural or pastoral in nature. The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem said that more than 21 Palestinian communities were fully or partially displaced during the same year due to settler violence.
On January 5, Israel’s Civil Administration announced the allocation of 694 dunams of land in northern West Bank towns under the classification of “state land.” In February, the security cabinet adopted further measures that removed previous legal restrictions on land purchases and expanded Israeli authority over planning, construction, archaeological sites, and water resources.
On February 15, the government allocated more than 244 million shekels to establish a mechanism transferring land registration powers in Area C from the Civil Administration to Israel’s Ministry of Justice. Amnesty International said the move paves the way for altering the existing legal status of the territory.
Israeli and international rights organizations report that settler-related violence is increasing alongside the accelerated pace of settlement expansion.
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