DayofPal—Israeli settlers have expanded a recently established pastoral outpost on the summit of Mount Ebal, north of the West Bank city of Nablus.
They brought in dozens of mobile homes under the protection of Israeli forces, according to local reports.
Palestinian sources warned that the move is part of an effort to transform the outpost into a permanent settlement, consolidating control over one of the most strategically significant high points overlooking the city.
Mount Ebal, together with nearby Mount Gerizim, forms a natural barrier around Nablus and overlooks large parts of the city and surrounding towns and villages, giving it major geographic and security importance.
Local reports said the new outpost was established with backing from the Samaria Settlements Council and the Amana settlement movement.
A religious agricultural school was also brought to the site as part of efforts to strengthen the settler presence, alongside rabbis and settlement leaders who participated in the inauguration of the outpost.
Images circulated on settler social media pages reportedly showed dozens of settlers gathering at the site overlooking Nablus, amid warnings that the outpost is intended to create new facts on the ground and eventually become a permanent settlement.
Witnesses said Israeli settlers brought dozens of caravans to the mountaintop under heavy military protection, while Israeli forces imposed restrictions in the surrounding area and prevented Palestinians from accessing nearby land.
According to local accounts, construction work at the site has accelerated in recent weeks, including basic infrastructure development such as water and electricity connections and the carving of dirt roads, in what appears to be an effort to entrench a long-term presence.
Settlement affairs researcher Raed Muqadi said the developments on Mount Ebal are not random or temporary, but part of a broader Israeli strategy aimed at controlling hilltops and strategic locations around Nablus.
He added that Israeli authorities typically provide guardian for settlers during the establishment of outposts, which are later legalized and converted into formal settlements.
Muqadi warned that the site’s location gives it significant control over large areas of Nablus governorate, enhancing Israeli military and security oversight of the region.
He also noted that Israel often uses so-called “pastoral settlement” methods to gradually seize Palestinian land by establishing small mobile outposts that later develop into permanent settlements with infrastructure and services.
He stressed that Mount Ebal has long been a target for settlement expansion due to its strategic and religious significance for settler groups, adding that Israeli authorities aim to link new outposts with nearby settlements and bypass roads.
In recent months, settlement expansion has reportedly increased across the northern West Bank, particularly around Nablus, Salfit, and the Jordan Valley, alongside a rise in settler attacks on Palestinian civilians and property.
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