Report: The Occupation Promotes a Settlement Bloc to Separate Northern West Bank from the Center and South

Nablus - Afaq News - The National Office for the Defense of Land and Resistance to Settlement stated today, Saturday, in its periodic report, that the occupation authorities are promoting a settlement bloc that extends to separate the northern West Bank from the center and south.

The report indicated that the Council of Settlements in the northern West Bank, known as the "Shomron Settlement Council," which is headed by the influential Likud settler Yossi Dagan, published in coordination with what is called the "Farmers' Union" of settlements, maps for a settlement bloc that is being worked on, extending from east to west in the area located between the northern West Bank and its center.

The report added that these maps cover the area around what is known as the "Qana" settlement bloc or "Gush Qana," which is being worked on to connect it with a strip of settlements and outposts in its vicinity, including the settlements of "Ariel" and "Emmanuel" in Salfit Governorate and the "Yitzhar" settlement in Nablus Governorate, along with other settlement sites through a network of roads, axes, and infrastructure projects.

The report stated that this strip begins from the "Yitzhar" settlement in the east and extends westward, passing through sites and outposts in the vicinity of Wadi Qana, reaching "Emmanuel," "Karni Shmron," "Yakir," and "Nofim," with its connection to the broader settlement bloc around "Ariel," which are settlements located in a strategic area in the northern and central West Bank.

The report added that if this cross-sectional strip is completed, it would cut off the geographical communication between the northern West Bank and its center, turning the Palestinian cities and villages in the specified area into isolated and besieged enclaves, imposing a pressing settlement cordon around the surrounding governorates of Jenin, Nablus, Qalqilya, and Salfit; thus undermining any possibility for urban expansion or Palestinian economic and agricultural development in the future.

The report indicated that the preparation and implementation of this settlement plan involves an integrated system that combines the governmental political level with the settlement movements and schools that operate on the ground.

The report pointed out that these entities can be divided into several main levels, including the governmental level, the security cabinet (the cabinet), where these plans are approved through decisions for settlement expansion led by ministers in the Israeli government, specifically from within the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Defense.

The report stated that the civil administration, as the executive body of the occupation army, is responsible for issuing notifications for the confiscation of Palestinian lands and changing their designation from agricultural or protected areas to settlement residential areas.

The report added that the regional and local councils of the settlements, particularly the Council of Settlements in Karnei Shomron and the surrounding blocs, are responsible for preparing detailed structural maps and submitting requests to expand the settlement neighborhoods to connect them, such as the plan to link the settlement of Karnei Shomron with the settlement of Emmanuel.

The report stated that the Israeli security cabinet discussed this project in secret sessions and approved its basic pillars through a series of successive decisions.

He pointed out that the plan is not presented in cabinet sessions under the name "the cross-sectional strip," but is approved and passed as separate packages and items to legitimize the outposts and expand the settlements that constitute it, ensuring their geographical integration within the official settlement system.

The report noted that the components of this project were discussed and approved in the security cabinet (the cabinet) through three separate and consecutive sessions during the year 2026. The first session was held on February 8, 2026 (restructuring the law and annexation), where the administrative foundation for the project was laid by adopting a package of decisions to accelerate settlement and change the legal and civil reality in the West Bank and work to remove obstacles to land sales and expand powers, which granted Minister Bezalel Smotrich the green light to re-engineer the geographical area and begin integrating the blocs in northern Samaria (the vicinity of Wadi Qana and Salfit) without restrictions.

The report added that the second session was held on March 25, 2026 (the major secret approval), and this session is considered the most important for the project; the cabinet made a secret decision revealed by the "Peace Now Movement" and Hebrew media in April 2026, which involved approving the legalization and establishment of 34 settlements and new outposts all at once.

The report clarified that these targeted outposts are located directly in the geographical gaps and Palestinian enclaves in northern Samaria and in the vicinity of the "Yitzhar" settlement, which are the missing pieces to complete the cross-sectional strip.

The report continued that the third session was in June 2026 (budget decisions and funding), where the cabinet moved to actual funding in this session; it approved a massive budget allocation of about 1.3 billion shekels to support the newly approved settlements and outposts, in addition to a parallel budget of 1.075 billion shekels fully allocated for the construction of bypass roads and paving routes that connect the "Immanuel" and "Karny Shomron" blocs and the surrounding outposts.

The report indicated that these budgets were officially announced in mid-July 2026 to enter the plan into accelerated field implementation.

The report noted that at the same time, settlement activities continue in more than one governorate in the West Bank.

It pointed out that the "Civil Administration" recently published an amendment to the "Blue Line" related to the "Kidah" settlement located east of the "Shilo" settlement on lands belonging to the village of "Jaloud" south of Nablus, and the amendment adds approximately 178 dunams to the area designated for the settlement.

The report explained that during the 1980s, Israel declared hundreds of thousands of dunams in the West Bank as "state land," in some cases without precise boundary definitions. As a result, before these areas can be used for planning and construction purposes, the "Blue Line" team of the Civil Administration must accurately define their boundaries.

It noted that practically, amendments to the "Blue Line" could lead to an expansion of the area available for planning and construction in the settlements. In the case of the "Kidah" settlement, the recently published amendment expands the "Blue Line" of the settlement by approximately 178 dunams.

The report added that this step comes following the decision of the Israeli security cabinet in December 2025 to recognize "Kidah" as a new settlement, after it had been considered an unauthorized outpost for many years.

The report also indicated that the so-called "Higher Planning Council" recently discussed plans to advance the construction of 1,670 housing units in several Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

It pointed out that three of these plans aim to legalize existing outposts; as both the outposts "Ein Yitaf" near the city of Jericho and "Ma'oz" to the northeast of Ramallah will be transformed into independent settlements, while a third outpost, "Adi Ad," on the lands of the villages of Qaryut, Jalud, and Turmus'ayya, will be legalized to become a neighborhood attached to the settlement of "Amihai."

The report stated that the planned settlement "Ein Yitaf" will be established adjacent to the Palestinian population center "Ras Ain Al-Auja," whose residents were forcibly displaced. As for the planned settlement "Ma'oz," it is located within the Jenin Governorate.

It added that the new neighborhood in "Amihai" includes the legalization of the outpost "Adi Ad," which was established in 1998.

The report clarified that the legalization of these settlement outposts comes as part of the current government's policy aimed at establishing 104 new settlements.

It pointed out that after the Cabinet's approval, these settlements must obtain planning authority approval to receive detailed planning status and be officially recognized as Israeli settlements under Israeli administration.

The report noted that with the inclusion of this anticipated discussion, the total number of housing units pushed by the "Supreme Planning Council" during the year 2026 reaches 9,972 units.

The report indicated that the Palestinian Jordan Valley is also on the agenda of these destructive activities, as the occupation authorities held an event to celebrate the eighth anniversary of the establishment of the "Nuh Gdid" settlement near the Tarza River axis and opposite the "Sartaba" area, coinciding with its receipt of an official settlement symbol from the Israeli Ministry of Interior.

The report highlighted that according to the newspaper "Maariv", the settlement was established in 2017 on a site that previously housed the "Gidi Camp", which was used by the Jordanian army before 1967, and later by the Israeli army. After years of the site being abandoned, a group of settlers moved in and established a residential community there.

The report clarified that the site currently hosts about 50 families and more than 100 children, in addition to institutions and facilities that include a preparatory military service program, kindergartens, a nursery, a tourist complex, and agricultural farms.

It added that granting the settlement code comes as part of official Israeli procedures to establish the site as a recognized town according to the Israeli administrative system. Israeli reports had indicated the granting of settlement codes to several points in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, including 'Nuh Ghadid - Gidi Camp.'

The report noted that hundreds of new housing units had previously been approved in Israeli planning institutions at the site, paving the way for further construction and settlement expansion in the upcoming phase.

Additionally, the report pointed out that the occupation authorities continue to seize Palestinian archaeological sites, as the occupation forces attached 'the Shrine of the Daughters of Jacob' in the Arta suburb of Tulkarem city last week to the Israeli Antiquities Authority and posted notices to that effect.

It explained that the building consists of two floors: a lower one dating back to the Roman period, and an upper one dating back to the Mamluk period, characterized by the presence of domes, and contains a prayer hall and a basement leading to the ground floor.

The report added that there are two stone-built pools in front of the building, along with two chambers dating back to the Roman period.

The report indicated that the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, in cooperation with the Tulkarem Municipality, carried out restoration and rehabilitation of the site between 2002 and 2004.

The Ministry of Awqaf stated that subjecting the "Tomb of the Daughters of Jacob" to the authority of the Israeli Antiquities is part of the occupation's policy aimed at seizing and confiscating endowment lands to serve its settlement and expansion plans. The ministry called on "international and human rights organizations for urgent intervention to stop these violations and to protect endowment lands and properties from confiscation and seizure."

In the same context, the report noted that the regional council for settlements in the northern West Bank announced last Tuesday the start of a new settlement tourism project in the "Alon Moreh" settlement east of Nablus, named "Joshua's Trail," as part of a broader project launched by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism to Judaize tourist sites in the West Bank and connect them to the Israeli historical and biblical narrative.

The report pointed out that the project includes the establishment of a new tourist road and the construction of a suspended bridge, passing through natural sites and viewpoints in the area. The foundation stone for the project was laid during a ceremony held in the "Alon Moreh" settlement, attended by Tourism Minister Haim Katz, Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu, the head of the Northern West Bank Settlements Council Yossi Dagan, along with several officials from tourism and settlement institutions in the region.

He explained that the cost of the project is approximately 3.2 million shekels, and it is the first project to be implemented as part of the "Torah Trails in Judea and Samaria" initiative launched by the Ministry of Tourism, in cooperation with the Ministry of Heritage, the Nature and Parks Authority, and the Council of Settlements in the northern West Bank, along with the local authorities and the "Alon Moreh Heritage Center."

In the context of the policy of displacement and ethnic cleansing, the report indicated that the occupation authorities declared the area of "Khirbat al-Murajim" on the outskirts of the village of Douma, adjacent to the town of Qasra to the south of Nablus and its surroundings, as a closed military zone.

He added that under this order, entry to the declared area is prohibited, except for the family members residing there.

The report pointed out that since the issuance of this announcement, settlers coming from the areas of the settlements of "Shilo" and "Malachi Hashalom" and outposts such as "Gal Yosef" and "Mikhtam Lidavid" have continued to approach the homes of families, graze their herds in the area, and practice violence against the residents, where it has been documented that settlers have blocked roads, threatened citizens, and sprayed them with pepper spray.

He noted that the combination of declaring the area a closed military zone and the settlers' violence against Palestinians is not a new matter; in March, a similar order was issued to close the area militarily, and a few days later, Palestinian residents were attacked by settlers, resulting in property damage and injuries among the residents.

In the same context, the report indicated that the occupation forces began last week to demolish a pastoral community in the western area of Deir Ballut, west of Salfit, which has been inhabited by more than 20 Palestinians for over 20 years, according to what was reported by the Palestinian news agency "Wafa" from local sources.

The report pointed out that sources indicated that the residents of the community own about 1,000 heads of sheep, which threatens the livelihoods of the families residing there, amid fears of their displacement and the emptying of the area of its inhabitants, coinciding with the continued leveling and seizure of large areas of land in Deir Ballut.

In the weekly violations documented by the National Office for the Defense of Land, they were as follows during the preparation of the report:

Jerusalem: The report indicated that the occupation machinery demolished industrial facilities made of tin belonging to Palestinian citizens in the town of Jaba' northeast of the city, which had previously received demolition orders under the pretext of construction without a permit. The machinery also leveled the lands surrounding the facilities and uprooted trees and crops.

Hebron: The report noted that settlers cut the main water line supplying the village of Adiqah in the Yatta plain, depriving about 700 citizens of water, and they burned an agricultural room and wrote inciting slogans east of Yatta, as well as assaulting the family of citizen Fadl Al-Hadar in Khillat Al-Hums, forcing them to move their tent set up on the ruins of their demolished house in search of a safer place.

The report added that armed settlers attacked farmers and assaulted them while they were trying to access their lands in the Wadi al-Shanar area east of Halhul town. In Yatta town, settlers burned an agricultural room in the "Ighziwa" area and wrote racist slogans and threats against the residents on its walls.

It pointed out that in Khirbat Janba in the Masafer Yatta area, settlers destroyed more than 50 olive trees after they drove their flocks into the citizens' fields. Settlers also attacked the outskirts of the town, raiding the home of a paramedic family in the Hawara area and assaulting women and children. They attempted to bring their sheep into the yard of the house made of bricks and tin that shelters the family members, in an attempt to seize it and force the family to leave amid gunfire.

The report noted that in Masafer Yatta south of Hebron, occupation bulldozers began demolishing and leveling Palestinian homes and facilities in the village of Janba, targeting about ten homes and facilities, including homes belonging to the orphan family. The demolition operations in Janba come as part of a series of measures faced by the residents of Masafer Yatta for years, including home demolitions, distribution of notices, and assaults, amid the declaration of large areas of the region as live-fire zones.

Bethlehem: The report stated that settlers chased shepherds in the Zaatara wilderness, released their livestock onto citizens' lands, and gathered near their homes in the Wadi Abu Najim area.

It added that settlers stormed the village of Artas and the town of Al-Khadr, occupying the area around the first pool. In the town of Tuqu, settlers attacked citizens' vehicles at the "Efrat" roundabout on the road leading to the southern countryside and the town of Tuqu, throwing stones, which resulted in injuries to a citizen and damage to the vehicle, and they detained him, preventing medical assistance from reaching him.

Ramallah: The report indicated that settlers fired live ammunition at homes and assaulted residents in the "Shab al-Luz" area of the village of al-Mughayir, while others attacked a number of citizens with pepper spray near the entrance of the village on the road between it and the village of Abu Falakh, resulting in cases of suffocation that were treated on-site.

It pointed out that the settlers attacked an ambulance vehicle of the al-Mughayir village council while it was heading to assist the injured, causing material damage to the vehicle.

The report clarified that settlers attacked the outskirts of the village of Burqa, throwing stones at a house and setting fire to the balcony of a home belonging to a citizen from the Samrin family, which was controlled and extinguished.

It added that settlers in the village of Yabrud attacked a vehicle with stones near the entrance of the village known as "Yabrud Bridge," causing it to overturn and injuring five young men.

It was noted that in the city of Ramallah, armed settlers stormed the al-Tireh neighborhood and carried out vandalistic and provocative acts on the street connecting the al-Tireh neighborhood and the diplomatic area in the city of Ramallah, while dozens of armed settlers stormed the village of Ein Sinya, wandering among the homes of citizens and reaching its center, carrying out provocative acts.

Settlers also uprooted and broke dozens of olive trees in the town of Ni'lin in the Khalal area west of the town. It is noted that settlers razed lands and carved agricultural roads in the Zubda area west of the town.

The report pointed out that settlers also stole dozens of livestock during their incursion into the town of Silwad, belonging to three citizens, while others attacked several homes and vandalized properties.

It added that another group of settlers attacked the outskirts of the town of Al-Mazra'a Al-Sharqiya, and more than 4 vehicles and two houses were damaged by the settlers during the attack on the town.

Nablus: The report indicated that settlers vandalized agricultural greenhouses and stole iron arches and equipment from the lands of the village of Naqoura, continuing to harass citizens in Beit Imrin.

It added that a girl was injured in the town of Aqraba by shrapnel from live bullets fired by settlers while she was in front of her house in the eastern part of the town, which led to her injury, and she was transferred to the hospital for treatment.

It was noted that settlers in the town of Beta attacked an industrial facility and a shed belonging to citizen Samer Abu Mazen, and fired live bullets in the area, while settlers in the village of Burqa cut off electricity to the Masoudiya area.

The report clarified that others assaulted four citizens from the Qasqus family in the Abu Rais area in Aqraba, resulting in bruises and injuries.

It was pointed out that settlers in the town of Hawara uprooted areas of land planted with olive trees in the Ras Zaid area of the town, and removed the olive trees, while other groups proceeded to bulldoze areas of agricultural land adjacent to the pastoral settlement outpost in the Ras Zaid area.

Jenin: The report stated that settlers stormed the Harish Mountain area east of the town of Jaba and established a settlement outpost amid repeated assaults on farmers, preventing them from accessing their lands.

It was noted that Harish Mountain is located in area classified as (A) and is surrounded by agricultural lands estimated to be more than 8,000 dunams, and settlers also cut down and damaged about 450 fruitful guava trees, and destroyed parts of irrigation networks and the fence surrounding agricultural land in Khirbat Farasin belonging to citizen Ali Ammarna.

The occupation authorities issued two military orders to remove olive plants and trees from Palestinian lands. The first order targets lands belonging to the municipality of Jenin and the town of Qabatiya, covering an area of 178.71 dunams, near the "Kadim" settlement on the bypass road east of the city. The second order targets 128.77 dunams of land from the municipality and Qabatiya, opposite the "Ghanim" military camp near the tourist village of Haddad east of Jenin.

Salfit: The report indicated that two citizens were injured, one due to a stab wound in the thigh and the other in the head, as a result of an attack by settlers on them in the Wadi al-Sha'ar area between the village of al-Lubban al-Sharqiya and the city of Salfit.

It was added that settlers stole the vehicle of citizen Mazouz al-Qahha from the city of Salfit while it was parked at the entrance of Wadi al-Sha'ar street, located between the city of Salfit and the village of al-Lubban al-Sharqiya, and fled the scene, in light of the presence of a settlement outpost established on the lands of citizens in the area.

It was noted that the occupation forces forced the residents of an 18-story residential building, which contains about 80 apartments, to evacuate it in preparation for its demolition.

The Jordan Valley: The report stated that settlers released their flocks of sheep into the agricultural lands of citizens in the Tayaseer area.

He pointed out that in the village of Jiftlik, a group of settlers attacked families in the community, attempted to steal a number of sheep, before assaulting the citizens and injuring one of them by throwing stones, and damaging a vehicle belonging to another citizen.

The report added that settlers in Jericho attacked Palestinian vehicles with stones near the settlement of "Mitzpe Yeriho."