DayofPal—Israel has seized approximately 700 dunams of Palestinian land in a strategic area northwest of the occupied West Bank, according to the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
The move aims to establish a new settlement neighborhood near Karnei Shomron, in what officials say is an effort to undermine the possibility of a future Palestinian state.
The seized land lies between the Palestinian town of Salfit and the city of Qalqilya, cutting off geographic and transportation links between Palestinian communities.
The project plans to connect the Karnei Shomron settlement council with the settlements of Alkana and Eitz Efraim, effectively isolating Palestinian villages into pockets and reducing their regional significance.
The Israeli plan envisions thousands of housing units and a dedicated road network for settlers.
Part of the land, around 200 dunams, is privately owned by Israeli businessmen and is designated for Haredi (ultra-Orthodox Jewish) settlers, reflecting an effort to accelerate their relocation to the area.
Israeli authorities have long considered settling the area, but plans were delayed due to the high Palestinian population, estimated in the tens of thousands.
The government hopes the Haredi population will settle quickly and in large numbers before upcoming elections in late 2026.
In December 2025, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich reported that the government had legalized 69 settlement outposts in the West Bank over three years, calling it an “unprecedented record.”
He also claimed that 19 new settlements had been legalized under his and Defense Minister Israel Katz’s proposals.
According to official Palestinian reports, the number of settlers in the West Bank reached approximately 770,000 by the end of 2024, spread across more than 180 settlements and 256 outposts.
Palestinian authorities have long urged the international community to pressure Israel to halt settlement expansion, which the United Nations considers illegal.
Since the October 7, 2023 genocide in Gaza, Israel has intensified efforts to annex parts of the West Bank, including demolitions, forced displacement, and settlement expansion, undermining the feasibility of a two-state solution with East Jerusalem as a Palestinian capital.
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