Israel continues to demolish homes in the West Bank... and prevents olive harvesting

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Israeli forces stormed the city of Qalqilya and demolished a house belonging to the Shihab family in the Al-Naqar neighborhood, while tear gas bombs were fired on Al-Malaab Street, coinciding with raids and arrests in various areas of the West Bank, and settler attacks that targeted homes, vehicles, and agricultural lands.

On Tuesday, Israeli forces also raided homes and turned some of them into military barracks. They detained four residents of one of the homes and confiscated their phones.

It also demolished three memorials in villages in Nablus Governorate, and sent military reinforcements towards west Hebron, amid continuing raids and restrictions imposed on the movement of Palestinians.

In a related context, settlers attacked Palestinian homes and burned vehicles in various areas, while they fired live bullets at vehicles during an attack on homes in the Al-Arma area near Beita, south of Nablus, which led to the injury of a young man after an attempt to run him over. A settler also released livestock onto people's lands north of Ramallah, while Israeli forces prevented residents from picking olives in the village of Barta'a, north of Jenin.

These developments came amid restrictions and attacks that accompany the olive harvest season, as Palestinian farmers complain of being prevented from accessing their lands and having their crops stolen. Human rights organizations also documented attacks on farmers, at a time when the spread of settlement outposts makes it more difficult to reach the fields.

In the town of Turmus Ayya, north of Ramallah, Israeli forces prevented people from picking olives on their lands. In Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, Israeli forces beat Issa Musaf and his son Rami, and arrested them after settlers attacked their residence and assaulted their family members.

Demolitions in the West Bank are not limited to homes, but include agricultural and commercial facilities and water facilities. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Israeli authorities are carrying out demolition operations in Area C and East Jerusalem under the pretext of the absence of building permits, which are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain, leading to the displacement of families and the loss of their sources of livelihood. This is a general background to the demolition policy, while the circumstances of the demolition of the Shihab family home are not clear.

The demolitions also coincide with moves led by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to expand settlements and consolidate control over West Bank lands. In a report published in September, the American organization J Street linked home demolitions, settler attacks, settlement expansion, and administrative changes, considering them integral tools to push the Palestinians to leave their lands and establish actual annexation. She explained that the vision proposed by Smotrich in September 2025 aims to annex about 82% of the West Bank, while keeping the main Palestinian communities outside Israeli sovereignty, within separate enclaves.

Land registration procedures raise fears of the seizure of large areas, as their Palestinian owners must prove their ownership in accordance with Israeli requirements, otherwise they may be registered as state property. While Israel presents these measures as regulating ownership, Palestinians and human rights activists warn against using them to expand settlements and cut off geographic connectivity between cities and villages, thus consolidating control over the land even without declaring comprehensive official annexation.