Occupation Expands Settlements and Increases Tensions: New Plans and Attacks in the West Bank
In less than 24 hours, multiple events across the West Bank have escalated tensions as the Israeli occupation moves forward with aggressive settlement expansion plans. The most significant of these developments is the announcement of a new plan to expand the "Gilo" settlement, a major Israeli settlement in the southern West Bank. The expansion aims to establish around 1,900 housing units on approximately 1,760 dunams of land, a move that encroaches further into the Palestinian territories of Beit Jala, situated between Bethlehem and Jerusalem (Al-Quds).
The expansion plan is part of a broader strategy by the occupation to increase its territorial control over areas in and around major Palestinian cities. This latest decision has sparked outrage among Palestinian residents, who view it as another attempt to alter the demographic balance in the region and undermine the possibility of a two-state solution.
Meanwhile, in the northern West Bank, a new outpost has been established in the town of Sinjil, Ramallah. This outpost, one of several sprouting in the area, comes amid reports of settlers burning industrial rooms in the town, escalating tensions and causing economic loss to local Palestinian communities. The establishment of such outposts has been a source of continuous friction and violence between settlers and Palestinian residents.
In the southern West Bank, a similar situation unfolds in the Masafer Yatta region, south of Al-Khalil (Hebron), where another outpost was set up by settlers. The area, which has been under constant threat of displacement, has witnessed numerous attacks by settlers who have uprooted olive saplings and vandalized properties in the Khirbet Um al-Khair area. This harassment is part of an ongoing strategy to force Palestinian communities off their land to make way for further settlement development.
In the town of Silwad, northeast of Ramallah, the occupation has also issued a decision to confiscate over 4,000 dunams of land to benefit the construction of the Asour military camp. This move is intended to pave the way for a new road, further limiting Palestinian access to vital lands and resources.
The violence is not limited to isolated incidents. Palestinian towns and villages continue to face the brunt of settler and military aggression. In Kifl Haris (Salfit), large numbers of Israeli soldiers stormed the area under heavy military protection, while settlers took to storming the Marah al-Baqar area southwest of Dura, Al-Khalil. The settlers raised occupation flags near local tents in Khirbet Samra, located in the northern Jordan Valley, further cementing their presence and control over contested Palestinian areas.
These actions highlight a growing pattern of Israeli settlement expansion, military incursions, and settler violence in the occupied West Bank, exacerbating tensions and fueling fears of further displacement and land confiscation. As the occupation accelerates its plans, Palestinians in these regions are facing an uncertain and increasingly dangerous future.
