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

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," "Karny 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 will lead to cutting 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 use 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 Karnei Shomron settlement with the Emmanuel settlement.

The report mentioned 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 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 gave 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 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 "Karnay 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" of the "Kidah" settlement located east of the "Shilo" settlement on lands belonging to the village of "Jaloud" south of Nablus, adding 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 the city of Ramallah will be converted 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 affiliated with the "Amihai" settlement.

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

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

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

It pointed out that following the approval of the Cabinet, these settlements must obtain approval from the planning authorities to gain 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 used 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 includes about 50 families and more than 100 children, in addition to institutions and facilities that include a preliminary 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 an officially 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 Gdid - Gidi Camp.'

The report indicated 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 clarified 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 in front of the building there are two stone-built pools and two chambers dating back to the Roman period.

The report indicated that the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, in cooperation with the Tulkarm 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 settlement of 'Alon Moreh' 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 link 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, through natural sites and overlooks of the area, with the foundation stone for the project laid during a ceremony held in the settlement of 'Alon Moreh', attended by Tourism Minister Haim Katz, Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu, and 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 about 3.2 million shekels, and it is the first project to be implemented as part of the "Torah Paths 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, 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 "Malakhi 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 militarily close the area, and after a few days, the 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 the Palestinian news agency "Wafa" reported from local sources.

The report pointed out that the 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 ongoing land leveling and seizure of large areas of Deir Ballut lands.

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

Jerusalem: The report indicated that the occupation machinery demolished industrial structures made of tin belonging to Palestinian citizens in the town of Jab'a 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 structures and uprooted trees and crops.

Hebron: The report noted that settlers cut the main water line supplying the village of Adqiqa in the Yatta plain, depriving about 700 citizens of water, and burned an agricultural room and wrote inciting slogans east of Yatta. They also assaulted 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 reach their lands in the Wadi al-Shanar area east of the town of Halhul. In the town of Yatta, 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 herds 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 brick and tin, which 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 Njeim area.

It added that settlers stormed the village of Artas and the town of Al-Khader in the area of Solomon's Pools and stationed themselves at 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 with stones, resulting 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-Lawz" area of the village of al-Mughayer, 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 Falah, resulting in cases of suffocation that were treated on-site.

It pointed out that the settlers attacked an ambulance vehicle of the al-Mughayer village council while it was on its way 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 house 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 acts of vandalism and provocation on the street connecting the al-Tireh neighborhood and the diplomatic neighborhood in the city of Ramallah, while dozens of armed settlers invaded the village of Ein Sinya and roamed among the homes of citizens reaching its center and carried out provocative acts.

Settlers also uprooted and broke dozens of olive trees in the town of Na'lin in the Khallal area west of the town. It is noted that settlers razed lands and opened 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, and 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, and continued 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 pointed out 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 Qasqous family in the Abu Ryes area in Aqraba, resulting in bruises and injuries.

It was noted that settlers in the town of Hawara razed areas of land planted with olive trees in the Ras Zaid area of the town, uprooting the olive trees, while other groups proceeded to raze 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 pointed out that Harish Mountain is located in area classified as (A) and is surrounded by agricultural lands estimated to be more than 8,000 dunams, while settlers also cut down and damaged about 450 fruitful guava trees, and destroyed parts of irrigation networks and the fence surrounding agricultural land in the Khirbat Farasin area belonging to citizen Ali Ammarna.

He added that 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 "Ganim" 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.

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

He pointed out that the occupation forces forced the residents of an 18-story residential building, which includes 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."