DayofPal– The West Bank had witnessed a sharp escalation in settlers’ violations throughout 2024, profoundly impacting the lives of Palestinians. Approximately 1,390 Palestinians—660 of whom were children—were displaced in the West Bank since October 7, 2023.
Observers on Israeli settlement have pointed to the formation of a “new army” consisting of 70,000 settlers equipped with full military gear, and operating under the Israeli army, in the past year. The settlers’ army has been backed by extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
A report from the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission reveals that Israeli authorities and settler aggression led to the displacement of five Palestinian Bedouin communities, consisting of 18 families and 118 Palestinians, in the first half of 2024.
During the same course of time, 17 new settlement outposts were established on Palestinian lands, bringing the total to 95 outposts seizing an estimated 412,000 dunams of land. These outposts add to the 190 settlements already housing nearly 740,000 colonial settlers.
Experts and researchers believe that settler terrorism, alongside the ongoing war on Gaza, has become a daily reality, aligning with Israel’s policies aimed at entrenching occupation, implementing ethnic cleansing, and enabling settlement expansion.
Reports from the commission highlight a 3% increase in the number of settlers in the West Bank over the past year, reaching approximately 726,427 settlers spread across 176 settlements and 186 outposts.
Key Settlement Violations
2024 saw a series of Israeli settlement policies aimed at tightening Israeli control over the West Bank and expanding settlements. The report by Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission highlights significant decisions supporting settlement expansion and their perilous implications for the Palestinian cause.
These decisions included: Making the largest land seizure in three decades, legalizing new outposts, expanding existing settlements, accelerating construction in Area C, and providing some secret funding for settlement outposts.
In March 2024, Israel seized over 25,000 dunams of Palestinian land in the West Bank, marking the largest land confiscation in 30 years.
In June 2024, the Israeli cabinet approved the legalization of five settlement outposts in the West Bank, paving the way for their expansion and development.
In July 2024, the Israeli government approved the construction of 8,681 new housing units in West Bank settlements, furthering their territorial reach.
In September 2024, Israeli authorities issued orders enabling urban renewal projects in Area C of the West Bank, allowing for the construction of 10,000 settlement units within a year.
March also saw Israel confiscating eight square kilometers of West Bank land, reflecting ongoing settlement policies at the expense of Palestinian territories.
In February 2024, Israel confiscated 2.6 square kilometers of Palestinian land, exacerbating the plight of Palestinians and complicating the region’s already tense situation.
In July 2024, the “Peace Now” organization revealed that the Israeli government had been secretly funneling funds to unauthorized settlement outposts in the West Bank, bolstering unofficial settlement activities.
A Threat to the Palestinian State
Bashar Qaryouti, a researcher specializing in settlement expansion, views the colonial acceleration in the West Bank over the past year as a direct manifestation of the far-right ideology steering the Israeli government. This vision revolves around establishing one-million-settler state in the West Bank.
Qaryouti explained to to Al-Resala Net that the current Israeli government has worked systematically to legalize and formalize settlement outposts, turning them into fully recognized settlements. These settlements are subsequently integrated into the official settlement council and financially supported by Israel’s Ministry of Finance.
Qaryouti highlighted that these actions align with the vision of Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Finance and a leader of the Religious Zionism party, who aims to increase the settler population in the West Bank to one million by 2030.
He emphasized that Smotrich’s strategy involves formalizing the status of settlement outposts, transforming them into independent settlements, and transferring authority over “state lands” from the Civil Administration, run by the Israeli military, to civilian ministries led by settlers.
Walid Assaf, head of the Committee to Confront Settlement Activity within the Palestinian National Council of the PLO, warned that Israel’s settlement policies effectively eliminate the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state. The practical challenges of evacuating hundreds of thousands of settlers would make such an endeavor nearly impossible.
Assaf pointed out to Al-Resala Net that the scale of Israeli settler attacks on West Bank villages and lands surrounding settlements has reached unprecedented levels. These assaults are part of a deliberate strategy to force Palestinian residents off their land.
Assaf stressed that the speed, scale, and intensity of these measures are unparalleled in the history of the Israel-Palestine struggle. He called for a unified Palestinian stance to counter this threat and protect the West Bank from Israel’s expansionist ambitions, which align with the political vision of the Trump-era “peace plan.”
This plan envisions Israel annexing settlements and effectively absorbing 60% of the West Bank, a move that would drastically reshape the region’s future.
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