Israeli authorities use military infrastructure to expand illegal settlements in West Bank: Report

A recent report has revealed that Israeli authorities are utilizing military infrastructure and seizure orders to facilitate the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank, thus altering the landscape of the occupied territory.

The report, published by the National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Settlements of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on Saturday, asserted that the Israeli military, together with various official institutions, has systematically changed the topographical map of the West Bank as part of its settlement policy.

This transformation was done through “the use of military infrastructure and military seizure orders to open new roads and connect settlement outposts to larger settlements,” the report said.

The report further outlined that over recent years, the Israeli military has dismantled “entire Palestinian communities” in regions such as the Jordan Valley and Masafer Yatta, forcing residents to vacate their homes while new settlement outposts were established in those same areas.

It added that the establishment of some of these outposts occurred “in direct coordination with the Israeli political leadership.”

Furthermore, citing the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the report noted that the commander of the Israeli army's Central Command has signed eight orders in the past few months that modify the boundaries of military firing zones in the West Bank in a way that legitimizes existing settlement outposts and facilitates the expansion of other settlements.

The report also explained that military seizure orders, which were initially meant for temporary security purposes, have been repurposed as a tool to enhance the settlement project.

Statistics cited in the report reveal that between 2023 and 2025, approximately 140 military seizure orders were issued, with a staggering 81% allocated to illegal settlements and settlement outposts.

Data from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics indicated that by the end of 2025, around  645 illegal Israeli settlements and military sites were scattered throughout the West Bank, including 151 settlements and 350 settlement outposts, along with 89 pastoral outposts.

Additionally, there were 144 other sites designated for military use, industry, tourism, and services.

By the end of 2024, the number of Israeli occupiers in the West Bank had reached approximately 778,500, the majority residing in Al-Quds.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir