Jerusalem: The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission said Israeli authorities have issued 49 military orders for the takeover of land since the beginning of 2026 under the guise of security, targeting a total of 2,093 dunums of Palestinian-owned land.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the commission stated in a position paper released on Saturday that these orders do not formally transfer land ownership from Palestinian owners. However, they impose broad restrictions on land use by requiring the removal or pruning of trees and vegetation, restricting access, and preventing replanting. The commission argues that these measures amount to de facto control over the land while ownership remains legally unchanged.
The orders are issued on the grounds of military and security needs in areas adjacent to Israeli colonies, bypass roads, the separation wall, checkpoints, and military sites. The commission contends that their geographic distribution suggests they are being used to expand control around colonial infrastructure and secure movement for Israeli colonists.
The number of such orders issued during the first half of 2026 has surpassed the total for all of 2025. Israeli authorities issued 47 orders covering 1,613 dunums throughout 2025. In contrast, 49 orders targeting 2,093 dunums were issued during the first six months of 2026, marking an increase of about 30 percent in the affected area.
Many of the orders were concentrated along roads used by Israeli colonists, including Routes 35, 354, 449, 60, and 356, as well as around Israeli colonies such as Ariel, Modi'in Illit, Mevo Horon, and Eli.
The commission warned that the impact of these orders extends beyond the directly affected areas, potentially restricting Palestinian access to larger areas of agricultural land. They can also create new security buffer zones and limit farming and grazing activities.
Additionally, some of the targeted land had previously been designated by Israeli authorities as "state land." The commission argues that the combination of military orders, land classifications, access restrictions, and tree removal forms part of a broader system of control over Palestinian land.
The military orders should be viewed as part of a wider policy that includes settlement planning, land seizure measures, and attacks by Israeli colonists, aimed at expanding Israeli control over land surrounding colonies and related infrastructure.