Israel steals thousands of acres of Palestinian land in latest West Bank land grab

Israeli occupation authorities have seized thousands of acres of Palestinian land in the central part of the occupied West Bank to build a so-called "security route" around an illegal settlement in clear defiance of international law and UN Security Council resolutions.

The anti-settlement Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission reported on Wednesday that Israeli officials have expropriated 15,342 dunams (3,791 acres) of land in the city of al-Bireh to construct a 3,835-meter-long road.

The route would surround the settlement of Psagot, located on Jabal al-Taweel land to the east of the city. This illegal road effectively forms a new buffer zone around the settlement, restricting Palestinian access to the lands situated between the settlement's developed area and the roadway.

The commission clarified in a statement that the Israeli military order No. (115/25/T) focuses on lands located within designated parcels No. (17, 20, 21, and 22) of Bireh, and specifies the transfer of actual possession to the ‘military commander’ via the officer in charge of the affairs of the Israeli Ministry of military affairs.

It noted that “the order was executed on June 18, 2025, and it will remain valid until December 31, 2027, allowing landowners a seven-day window to raise objections, commencing from the date of the site visit scheduled for landowners.”

The maps illustrate that the route does not concentrate on a particular piece of land, but instead establishes a nearly total encirclement of the Psagot settlement.

Initial measurements from the maps indicate that the military order, along with the area that is directly seized, hinders Palestinians from reaching more than 380 dunams (nearly 94 acres) in the space between the existing settlement buildings and the route designated in the military order.

The commission highlighted that the entire region is excluded from the official confiscation statistics; however, the implementation of the route will isolate it, limit access for its owners, and effectively subject it to the security oversight of the settlement.

New Israeli settlement expansion aims to seize more Palestinian land: Hamas

The Hamas resistance movement says the new Israeli settlement plans in the occupied West Bank are aimed at swallowing up more Palestinian land.

This decision forms part of an escalating policy implemented by Israeli officials following the onset of the Gaza genocidal war on October 7, 2023, during which they enacted 46 military orders designed to establish buffer zones around settlements.

These orders highlight the transformation of buffer zones from extraordinary “security measures” to a standard instrument for extending colonial dominance and infringing upon Palestinian territory, without necessitating immediate construction plans or official changes in ownership.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite mounting international pressure, continues to push for the construction and expansion of illegal settlements across the West Bank. He has also pledged to encourage a significant influx of immigrants into the occupied Palestinian territory.

Settlement outposts, which typically consist of a handful of mobile homes or other temporary structures, are considered illegal even under Israeli law. Their formal recognition and approval, however, have increased significantly in recent years.

More than 600,000 Israeli settlers live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East al-Quds.

All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. The UN Security Council has condemned Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied territories in several resolutions.

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion ordering Israel to end its occupation of the Palestinian territories “as rapidly as possible,” declaring the regime's presence unlawful.

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