Occupation Authorities Redeploy Troops in West Bank to Secure Settlers and New Settlements

By: Madeeha Al-A’raj
Settlement Weekly Report 3 - 9 Jan. 2026

The ‘National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Settlements stated in its latest weekly report , that over the course of 2025, the Higher Planning Council of the Israeli Civil Administration advanced ‘plans for the construction of 28,136 housing units in Jewish settlements, the most recent approvals of 1,033 units in the settlements in Asfar, Yitzhar, and Sanur were issued at the end of the year, marking a record level compared with previous years.’ The Israeli Security Cabinet also decided to establish 14 new settlements and legalize 5 existing settlement outposts in a series of steps that shattered the established pattern of settlement activity over the past three years. Thus, the Administration imposed temporary restrictions on a debate among the government parties regarding the possibility of ‘imposing sovereignty’ on the West Bank´-or-parts of it, starting with the Jordan Valley.
The debate revolved around the following: if not ‘sovereignty’ then at least creeping settlement expansion and new settlements: the current government established scores of new settlements and outposts were legalized. In various areas of the West Bank, more than 140 ‘pastoral farms’ have also been established, seizing about 1,000,000 dunams of ‘state land’ equivalent to half of the total state land area in the West Bank through military orders issued by the Central Command Chief, Avi Blot. Moreover, the plan to link Jerusalem and Ma ale Adumim ‘E1 Plan’ has moved toward implementation after 3 decades of freeze. This plan is strategically significant as it effectively closes the door to the so-called two-state solution and the establishment of a Palestinian State.
Recently, in a move described as a ‘remarkable acceleration’ of the process of legalizing settlement outposts, the occupation authorities approved the recognition of several grazing farms last year. The most serious of those was the recognition of the ‘Har Bezek Settlement Farm’ established on the lands of the Raba town, Jenin, in a strategic location on ‘Mount Salma’ at an altitude of 713 meters above sea level. The site was transformed from a grazing outpost into an officially recognized settlement in record time less than a month bypassing the usual procedures that used to take months´-or-even years to complete the settlement process.
Controlling this mountain with a settlement outpost that rapidly transformed into a settlement means tightening control over a wide area. Its location overlooks the coastal cities as far west as Haifa, and the Jordan Valley and the mountains of Jordan to the east, transforming the site from a mere settlement farm into a strategic control point and a permanent point of control over the land and its surroundings. The accelerated imposition of new settlement facts on the ground necessitates securing control by the occupation army, emergency response teams, and Ben Gvir militias.
The occupation army is currently operating in the West Bank with 21 field battalions. The army is relieved that the end of the war in Gaza will allow it to shift its focus and resources to the West Bank, which is experiencing heightened tensions. Military sources indicate that two regular, well-equipped battalions will be transferred from Givatayim and Mekfir to operate in the West Bank within about 2 weeks. The increase in the number of occupation forces in the West Bank is a natural consequence of the 200% expansion of the area under occupation in the last 3 years due to the proliferation of settlements, outposts, and so-called pastoral farms.
According to Israeli media, sources within the Israeli army warn of the seriousness of the situation and express concern about the deteriorating conditions. In many areas considered relatively calm, such as central Gush Etzion´-or-along the seam line with the Sharon Region in central Israel, settlers are refusing to allow Palestinian citizens access to their lands and fields surrounding their settlements. the stated reason is that the settlers fear some of the Palestinians might be potential terrorists.
Thus, the accelerated establishment of settlements and outposts in the West Bank in recent years, particularly during the brutal war on the Gaza Strip, has prompted the occupation army to reorganize its deployment and expand its military presence. This includes constructing new roads, establishing military sites, and increasing the number of battalions dedicated to ‘securing and protecting’ settlers. The occupation army is working to reorganize its ranks in the area to ‘secure’ nearly double the inhabited areas where settlers are concentrated.
That involves expanding its military deployment and increasing the number of battalions assigned to so-called ‘security tasks’, especially after the Israeli government recently approved the establishment of 21 settlements, including the ‘Sanur settlement’, which was evacuated in 2005 from the northern West Bank in addition to 19 other settlements that are still in the planning stages.
The ‘Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper’ pointed out last Sunday in one of its reports that the Israeli army has actually begun field work in the northwest of the West Bank, including paving new roads and establishing military sites, with the aim of securing the reconstruction of settlements that were evacuated during the ‘disengagement plan’. The newspaper report clarified that the occupation forces are currently working on paving a road that bypasses the Palestinian village of Silat al-Dhahr, north of Jenin, to establish a new military site to ‘secure’ the Sanur settlement with similar preparations including the ‘Homesh settlement, and possibly Kedim and Ganim, which were also evacuated as part of the disengagement in 2005.
The newspaper considered that the re-establishment of the Sanur settlement and the settlements that were evacuated in parallel with the accelerated establishment of new settlement outposts will change the pattern of life in the northwestern West Bank during 2026. The report also indicated that the area extending from the vicinity of the Kedumim settlement in the Qalqilia Governorate in the north, to the small remaining settlement enclave in the northwestern corner of the West Bank, which was closed to Israelis and in which only a-limit-ed number of settlements remain, including Mevo Dotan and Reihan has become in light of these developments in -dir-e need of field security provided by the occupation army. The newspaper noted that those moves came within the context of what the report described as a ‘quiet settlement revolution’, attributed to the growing role of FM and Minister for Settlement Affairs in the Ministry of Army Bezalel Smotrich in managing the affairs of the West Bank.
The report stated that the army is bolstering its intelligence and technological capabilities in the northern West Bank, including observation towers, radars, and communication equipment, along with changes in military deployment patterns. This comes after the number of settlements established under its control doubled in the last 3 years, reaching about 40 settlements and outposts. It should be noted that since Oct. 7, 2023, the occupation army has shifted to an operational pattern based on intensive and continuous military activity within Palestinian areas, including Area A, under the pretext of protecting settlers and traffic flow.
The past period has also witnessed an expansion in the role of so-called ‘readiness teams’ within the settlements. These teams, comprised of settlers themselves, receive weapons and military equipment and operate under the supervision of local security officers. Over the past 2 years, the occupation army has supplied those teams with machine guns, communication equipment, and additional military gear, and is exploring the possibility of equipping them with anti-tank missiles and hand grenades.
In parallel with redeploying Israeli army units to secure settlers in new settlements, Israeli authorities are planning to relocate Israeli families to unauthorized outposts and house them in temporary structures. Permanent buildings, educational institutions, and roads will be constructed later, according to a report in Yediot Aharonot last Wednesday. This plan is based on PM Netanyahu s pledge, made in coalition agreements with the Religious Zionist Party, to establish 70 new settlements.
The newspaper quoted a settlement official as saying, ‘If 2025 was a year of revolution in decisions and a change in the approach to work, then 2026 is the year of action, and we will see actual progress on the ground.’ The settlement plans for the new year include the isolation of Palestinian cities and towns, including Jericho, which is slated for encirclement by settlements. Among these is the ‘City of Dates,’ to which Haredi residents will be relocated, in addition to the establishment of other settlements that will ‘create a ring around Jericho.’
The plan is based on what settler leaders call a security necessity and a change in the Israeli security doctrine at the border after Oct. 7th. The ‘security necessity’ is being translated on the ground into expanding existing settlements and establishing new ones, including within enclaves between Palestinian villages. Those enclaves will house ‘educational institutions’, including religious seminaries for Torah study and settlement outposts disguised as farms, some of which will be close to the border between the West Bank and Jordan.
According to the plans, students at those seminaries will undergo weapons training. The plans also include establishing such a seminary near the village of al-Auja, north of Jericho. This model will also be transferred to the southern Hebron Hills, according to the newspaper, where a group of settlement outposts disguised as farms has been established between the settlements of Carmel and Otniel to separate the areas of the villages of Yatta and Al-Samu from villages in the Negev. The model will also be applied to settlements in the Ramallah area and north of East Jerusalem.
In its ongoing settlement activities, the Israeli Ministry of Construction and Housing has issued a tender for the construction of 3,401 settlement units within the E1 project, aimed at linking the Ma ale Adumim settlement with West Jerusalem., which would prevent the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian urban area between Ramallah, East Jerusalem, and Bethlehem. That is occurring before the court has ruled on petitions filed by the Peace Now Movement in cooperation with Ir Amim, Bimkom, and scores of Palestinians in the area, demanding the project s cancellation.
The court is currently awaiting the state s response to the petitioners demands. Having rejected a request to freeze the project pending a final ruling, the court has allowed the government to proceed with promoting construction. According to Peace Now, the construction in the E1 area aims to entrench an irreversible reality on the ground, leading to a single state, which all indications suggest will take the form of an apartheid regime. Repairing the damage caused by construction in area E1 will require many years and tremendous efforts. In the meantime, the entire area will remain trapped in a cycle of violence, injustice, and hopelessness.’
Heavy burdens on the Qalqilya and Salfeet Governorates as of the new year, after the occupation authorities announced last Wednesday the seizure of 694 dunams of land belonging to the Kafr Thulth, Deir Istiya, and Biddya towns, declaring it state land to initiate a plan to establish a settlement bloc south of the ‘Karnei Shomron Settlement’. Within the context, the Israeli Public Radio reported that the Israeli occupation government will allocate NIS 2 billion to implement a massive settlement project in the northern West Bank, which would effectively create a geographical separation between the Qalqilya and Salfeet by connecting the Karnei Shomron settlement, both in terms of infrastructure and construction, to the Immanuel settlement.
The project includes the construction of 5,774 new settlement housing units within newly established neighborhoods extending eastward, connecting Karnei Shomron to the outskirts of the settlement of Immanuel. It also includes the creation of a so-called ‘educational city’ comprising scores of kindergartens and schools, a cultural center, a sports club ‘country club’, and a large shopping center, the plan is not-limit-ed to settlement construction, it also encompasses extensive infrastructure development, including the repaving of roads in older neighborhoods, burying high-voltage power lines underground, and the creation of a municipal park with an investment exceeding NIS 10,000,000. Moreover, it includes a comprehensive traffic plan that incorporates the construction of new roads and bicycle paths.

List of Israeli Assaults over the Last Week Documented by the National Bureau:
Jerusalem:
- Forcing
- Seizing a building belonging to the Basbous family in the Batn Al-Hawa Neighborhood of Silwan after a force of occupation police and members of the Ateret Cohanim settlement organization raided the building and forced the family to evacuate.
- Carrying out what was described as a ‘double attack’ against residents of the Al-Hathroura Bedouin Community east of occupied Jerusalem. They sent messages via drone demanding the immediate evacuation of the community, spreading an atmosphere of terror and deliberate intimidation among the residents. The threat was followed by a -dir-ect raid on the community s homes under the protection of the occupation forces, during which the contents of the houses were ransacked and personal belongings were burned besides, a number of young men were detained for extended periods and interrogated on the spot.
- Demolishing a farm belonging to Jerusalemite Iyas Dandis in the Wadi al-Beik area of Anata.
- Issuing a demolition order for part of the Al-Aqsa School and Kindergarten, the ‘Al-Manarah Al-Hamra’ branch, in the Sa diyya Quarter of the Old City of occupied Jerusalem, giving the administration one week to comply with the demolition order.
Hebron:
- Demolishing 2 agricultural structures in the Khallat Awad area near Khirbet al-Tawil in Masafer Yatta, and stolen the equipment.
- Attacking residents in the Khirbet Al-Qat area south of the Beit Umar town, prevented them from accessing their land. The settlers had previously seized part of the town s land in that area, erected a caravan, and brought livestock there.
- Uprooting 150 olive trees in Khirbet al-Taban in the Masafer Yatta area, in addition to cut parts of the fence surrounding the land.
- Bulldozing large areas of Palestinian land in the Dhahiriya town, and began paving a new settlement road in the al-Deir area southeast of the town. The new road branches off from a previous settlement road established by the occupation forces about ten days ago in the same area, with a length of more than 6km extending from the Zanuta area east of the town to the al-Sarawat and al-Deir areas southeast of Dhahiriya, which are areas that witness frequent incursions by settler groups.
Bethlehem:
- Injuring 15 Palestinians, including 6 children during a settler attack on the Khala’il al-Luz area southeast of Bethlehem. A group of settlers attacked Palestinian homes in the area with stones and surrounded them. The attack was carried out under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, who fired stun grenades and tear gas at the homes.
- Fencing 15 dunams of land planted with olive trees in the Tuqu town, with the aim of seizing it. The land is located only tens of meters from Palestinian homes.
- Issuing a demolition order for a house in the Ard al-Deir area, west of the In the Khader town, claimed it was built without a permit.
- Demolishing a 50-meter-long retaining wall in the city of Beit Jala, which the municipality had built to protect the land.
- Forcing Moh’d Saeed al-Araj to demolish his 120-square-meter apartment on the second floor located in the Sami’ Neighborhood of the Ein Juwaiza area, also claiming it was built without a permit.
Ramallah:
- Attacking the Marj Si a area, located between the villages of Al-Mughayyir and Abu Falah, and attempted to assault a woman, which led to clashes between Palestinians and the settlers, during which settlers ran over a young man from Al-Mughayyir and stabbed a man from Abu Falah in the head and hand.
- Uprooting olive trees in the neighboring town of Turmusayya and caused extensive damage to trees and property.
- Attacking the home of Naif Abdul-Nabi Shabaneh, broken windows, stolen belongings, and caused extensive damage on the northern outskirts of Sinjil. paving a road to the archaeological site of Khirbet Tarfin in Atara, located within the town s lands, which they recently seized in an attempt to control a hilltop area of 2,000 dunams.
- Establishing a new settlement outpost between the towns of Deir Dibwan and Rammun.
Nablus:
- Attacking farmers south of the village of Asira al-Qibliya, firing shots to intimidate and expel them, and seized agricultural equipment used for spraying pesticides.
- Attacking citizens vehicles near the bypass road adjacent to the neighboring village of Duma, causing damage to some of them.
- Storming the historic Khan al-Lubban in the Lubban Sharqiya town under the protection of the occupation army, and carried out provocative acts at the site.
- Attacking Palestinian homes on the outskirts of Burin village and in the town of Beita in the Dhahra area with stones before residents confronted them.
- Seizing land in the towns of Fandaqumiya and Silat Dhahr in Jenin Governorate and Burqa in Nablus Governorate, under military order number T/175/25, confiscated about 503 dunams of land from the 3 towns. The confiscation aims to construct a ‘security’ road connecting the settlements of Homesh and Sanur, which were evacuated in 2005.
- Storming the western area of Beit Dajan village and attempted to assault a Palestinian man, who was in his vehicle with his child on the main road.
- Attacking a farm in the Beit Furik plain, threatened the owners with the destruction of crops, greenhouses, and other agricultural structures.
Salfeet:
- Storming many houses in the village of Farkha, amidst live gunfire, besides attacking livestock enclosures, creating a climate of fear and tension among the residents.
- Storming the Al-Salam Mosque with their shoes on, vandalized its contents, took group photos at the mihrab in the town of Deir Ballut, and obstructed traffic, preventing vehicles from passing towards the town.
- Attacking the vehicle of Jaber ad-Dik in the Balat Susya area north of the Kafr ad-Dik town, caused material damage.
- Stealing 10 sheep belonging to Muhand Farouq Barakat from the Al-Naqous area in the village of Bruqin.
Jordan Valley:
- Demolishing 2 villas east of Jericho, belonging to Jerusalemites. One villa was inhabited, while the other was newly built. They also issued a demolition order for another villa in the same area.
- Storming Khirbet al-Farsiyah in the northern Jordan Valley, harassed residents and patrolled around their homes.
- Attacking the Ka abneh family, severely beating its members, before the Israeli army stormed the area in Tel Samadi in Jiftlik, north of Jericho.
- Issuing demolition orders for homes in Jiftlik belonging to Amer Moh’d Hassan Jahalin, Baha Hassan Jahalin, and Bassam Ali Masa id.
- Storming the Khirbet Hadidiya in the northern Jordan Valley and expelled Palestinian shepherds while they were grazing their livestock on their land.
- Attacking the Bedouin community of Shalal al-Auja and emptied the residents water tanks, and assaulted solidarity activists who were present at the site.

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