Jerusalem: Israeli military orders are increasingly being used to accelerate the legalization of settlement outposts and expand settlements across the occupied West Bank, according to a report by the National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Settlements. The report reveals that these orders are part of broader policies aimed at displacing Palestinians from areas designated as 'firing zones' under the pretext of military use.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the bureau's weekly settlement report highlights that these areas are being utilized as 'vital spaces' for settlement activity. It cites a report by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which indicates that the Israeli army has reduced parts of closed military training zones to legalize outposts built there illegally and to facilitate the expansion of existing settlements.
The report notes that the Israeli army continues to petition the Israeli Supreme Court to remove Palestinian communities from these areas, alleging that they obstruct military training. It further outlines how settlers, with support from the Israeli army and state institutions, have significantly altered the geographic landscape of the West Bank. This has been achieved through the use of military infrastructure and land seizure orders to pave roads, link outposts with larger settlements, and convert abandoned military bases into civilian settlements.
The report documents Israeli forces demolishing entire Palestinian communities in the Jordan Valley and Masafer Yatta in the southern West Bank, displacing residents, while new outposts are established in these areas, some in coordination with Israeli political leadership.
The report also highlights how Israeli military orders, initially meant for 'temporary security needs,' have become central tools for settlement expansion. This includes the construction of bypass and security roads that restrict Palestinian access to agricultural lands. Between 2023 and 2025, the bureau recorded 140 military seizure orders issued under 'security needs,' with 81 percent serving settlements and outposts through road construction and connectivity projects.
It further states that Israel's Settlement Directorate, under Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, has transferred wide planning and infrastructure powers to civilian settlement bodies, facilitating the linking of outposts to electricity and roads. The army has resumed converting abandoned military bases into civilian settlements.
The report discusses the Israeli army's recent decision to seize seven dunams on the outskirts of Jenin for military use, to establish a base protecting the Ganim and Kadim settlements. This decision, signed by Israeli Central Command chief Avi Bluth, involves a planned base near the Jenin refugee camp.
Additionally, the report highlights renewed work on the 'life fabric' project, which includes the demolition of commercial and industrial structures in al-Eizariya. This is part of a larger plan linked to the E1 settlement project aimed at connecting Ma'ale Adumim with occupied Jerusalem, further isolating Palestinian areas.
The report also references new EU sanctions targeting four settlement organizations and three settler leaders accused of involvement in violence and displacement of Palestinians. These groups include Amana, Hashomer Yosh, Regavim, and Nahala.
