Settlers encroach on Palestinian Area B zones... with government encouragement and Israeli military protection
A report by the newspaper Haaretz reveals a significant expansion in the establishment of outposts within areas under Palestinian Authority control. While Israel officially describes settler attacks in the village of Qusra and elsewhere as acts committed by “a handful of extremists,” the report indicates that at least 30 outposts have been established over the past two and a half years, most in Area B and at least one in Area A.
The report states that these outposts were established in strategic locations, on mountaintops and near roads and Palestinian construction zones, with the aim of preventing Palestinian urban expansion, hindering the movement of residents, and creating settler control over open spaces.
It notes that establishing outposts within Areas A and B was not common before 2024, and previous attempts were dismantled by order of the Civil Administration. However, policy has changed under Benjamin Netanyahu’s current government.
The report details the “Tel Talpiot” outpost established on Qusra’s lands, located approximately two kilometers inside Area B. Palestinian residents say settlers conduct daily patrols toward their homes and attack individuals they encounter. The report cites the killing of Palestinian Amir Odeh by a settler’s bullet in March, the stabbing of his father, and serious attacks on both Israeli and Palestinian activists.
According to Haaretz, the area surrounding the outpost remains under the de facto control of settlers seven months after its establishment. Security forces occasionally remove them or dismantle the structures, but they quickly return and rebuild. The report describes the field relations between the settlers and soldiers as often friendly.
The report cites numerous examples, including the “Magen Yehuda” outpost near Nablus, “Or Nachman” near Turmus Ayya, “Hamsholash” near Abu Fahla, and “Kfar Tarfun” in Atara, as well as an Israeli farm and café near Ramon and Taybeh, whose operators boast it is “the first in Area B.”
It also mentions the establishment of the “Herichs” outpost south of Singil within Area A, the only known one in that region so far. According to the report, bloody attacks against Palestinians have occurred in the vicinity of several of these outposts, and settler attacks have disrupted Palestinian roads and construction projects.
The report emphasizes that this phenomenon is not limited to marginal settler groups but enjoys open support from ministers and Knesset members in the governing coalition. It cites the visit of Minister Michal Shikly to the “Tel Talpiot” outpost, where she described the site as a “strategic settler point” and called for abandoning the prevailing view of dividing the West Bank into Areas A, B, and C.
It also refers to a conference held by the “Returnees to the Home” forum in the Knesset under the title “Control of Open Areas,” which called for the establishment of 100 new outposts in Areas A and B. A large number of coalition members participated in the conference, including Simcha Rothman, Tally Gotliv, Yoav Kisch, Shlomo Kar’ai, Orit Strook, and Tzvi Sukot.
According to the report, forum organizers claim their plan was presented to government ministers and associates of Netanyahu, and that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich provides it with significant support. The plan’s proponents believe that controlling open spaces in areas under Palestinian Authority will prevent Palestinian geographic continuity and enhance settler connectivity.
The report notes that outpost locations are not chosen randomly but based on geographic analysis, which considers that approximately 60 percent of Areas A and B—roughly 1.2 million dunams—consist of open, unbuilt land that can be targeted for settlement.
MK Avihai Boaron of the Likud party displayed aerial photographs of Palestinian construction in Area B during a conference, characterizing it as “political construction” aimed at controlling strategic areas. He praised the establishment of settlement outposts that prevent Palestinian villages from expanding.
In contrast, the Israeli military officially maintains that the establishment of these outposts is unauthorized. The report quoted Central Command commander Avi Blot as stating that setting up settlement points in Areas A and B is “illegal and contrary to government directives.”
The military also told Haaretz in its response: “In accordance with political-level directives, the Israeli military will not permit the establishment of settlement outposts in Areas A and B.”
However, the report concludes that there is a significant gap between this official stance and the reality on the ground, with outposts persisting and settlers returning to them after evacuation operations.
Haaretz’s investigation suggests that what is occurring is not a series of isolated initiatives by extremist settlers, but rather an organized phenomenon expanding rapidly and enjoying political cover from prominent figures in the coalition, while military and police measures remain limited. The report goes further, arguing that the weakness in law enforcement may not be merely a field-level failure, but part of a policy that gradually facilitates the transfer of settlement activity from Area C to areas under Palestinian Authority control.
In a separate development, the Israeli military has warned against attempts by politicians to draw Israel into deliberate military confrontations in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank ahead of the elections. Amid what has been described as “drone terrorism,” Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir issued instructions to intensify assassination operations, according to Channel 13.
The Israeli military warned on Wednesday evening against efforts by politicians to drag the military into manufactured confrontations prior to the elections. Security officials stressed that “terrorist operations in the Gaza Strip are pulling the Palestinian public out of a state of indifference.”
In this context, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir directed an escalation of the response and an increase in field assassination operations, following the continued launch of drones.
The military’s warning comes amid ongoing security tensions, the continued launch of drones from the Gaza Strip, and demands directed at the military to present a plan for waging war against the Palestinian Authority in the event of what is termed a “reversal of guns”—meaning the Palestinian security apparatus turning its weapons toward Israel.
