Israeli Settler Pressure Escalates in West Bank Amidst Policy Shifts
The air in the West Bank village of Fasayil hangs heavy with the pungent scent of decay. Just weeks ago, a stark demonstration of settler intimidation unfolded as an enormous pile of animal feed was dumped on the doorstep of the last Palestinian family remaining in the community. The lingering odour serves as a constant reminder of the relentless pressure faced by residents like Abed Al Ebayat, who has called Fasayil home for nearly two decades.
“Their goal is to make the people leave… but where can we go to?” Al Ebayat lamented, describing a litany of harassment. “They harass us with their cows and sheep. They also cut the drinking water pipe… and there is nothing we can do.”
This pattern of dispossession is not isolated. Further south, in Duyuk al-Tahta, near Jericho, the devastation is palpable. Several Palestinian homes have been reduced to rubble, a grim testament to recent events. Activists report that just the day prior, dozens of settlers, armed with heavy machinery, forcibly evicted 15 families from their homes.
Sarit Michaeli, from the Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem, categorises these incidents as part of a broader, escalating trend of “immense amounts of violence.” She observes, “This is a symbolic example of the way that Israeli settlers, totally supported by the government, are acting towards Palestinians throughout the entire rural part of the West Bank. They’re acting as if Palestinians don’t really exist in those areas.”
Government Policy Fuels Settlement Expansion
Adding a significant new dimension to this volatile situation, Israel’s security cabinet recently endorsed a plan that promises to accelerate the establishment of new settlements, a move widely condemned as illegal under international law. Historically, acquiring West Bank land for Israeli settlement has been a complex process, requiring transactions through registered companies and specific permits. The new policy dismantles these barriers, allowing for direct land purchases by Israelis. Furthermore, land records are being declassified, making it easier for potential buyers to identify and target current Palestinian landowners.
The implications of this policy shift are stark. In a statement announcing the change, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared, “We will continue to kill the idea of a Palestinian state.”
Economic Hardship: A Tool for Land Acquisition?
The economic landscape for Palestinians in the West Bank has been severely impacted, particularly following the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023. Benjamin Netanyahu’s government subsequently barred over 140,000 Palestinian workers from entering Israel, according to a report by the Institute of National Security Studies (INSS). This decision has had a devastating effect, as a Palestinian construction worker in Israel could previously earn more than double the average daily wage in the West Bank.
The International Labour Organization forecasts unemployment in the West Bank to reach a staggering 38.5 per cent by the end of 2025. Compounding these challenges, Israel has been withholding a portion of the tax revenue it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority (PA), forcing the PA to cut salaries and lay off workers.
Ibrahim Sider, a former PA school teacher now struggling in commerce, described the “unbearable” economic conditions pushing Palestinians into a desperate state, potentially making them vulnerable to pressure to sell their land. “They have totally exhausted the Palestinian people,” Mr. Sider stated. “Starved them, impoverished them, and they will take all the land on a silver platter without shooting one bullet, unfortunately.”
As Ramadan approaches, the focus for many is on basic survival. “What do you want me to do? Confront a settler, or spend on my children?” Mr. Sider questioned, highlighting the impossible choices faced by many. Ms. Michaeli of B’Tselem believes Israel’s new land policy is strategically designed to exploit this economic vulnerability. “I’m sure this is one of their intentions,” she asserted. “Private ownership of land has been one of the extremely rare, very meagre measures Palestinians enjoyed… against Israeli encroachment.”
Accelerating Settlement and Eroding Hope
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while not directly responding to specific queries, framed the recent decision on social media as an effort to establish “equality.” A statement claimed the cabinet’s decision corrected “a racist distortion based on Jordanian law—a law that discriminated against Jews, Americans, Europeans, and anyone who is not Arab regarding real estate purchases in Judea and Samaria.”
However, Israeli human rights lawyer Shlomo Lecker countered this assertion, pointing out the stark reality of Palestinian land ownership rights within Israel. “What are the rights of Palestinians to buy land in Israel?” he asked. “They cannot buy land in Israel.” Mr. Lecker views the security cabinet’s new plan as “one more step” towards the annexation of the West Bank.
Data from the anti-settlement group Peace Now reveals a significant expansion of Israeli settlements. In 2023, there were 141 established settlements in the West Bank, alongside hundreds of smaller outposts. The Israeli government reports that at least 69 additional settlements have been approved or recognised since.
The human cost of this expansion is vividly illustrated by Nayef Ghawanme, who now resides in a tent. His family was forced to abandon their home in Ras Ein Al Auja, in the Jordan Valley, due to “day and night” harassment from settlers. “Patience has a limit. It was unbearable,” the 50-year-old stated. Mr. Ghawanme believes the new policy to allow direct land purchases will extinguish any lingering hope for a Palestinian state. “There will never be a Palestinian state,” he declared. “The decisions, [of the Israeli cabinet]… will destroy the project. You can’t have a Palestinian state and tell the settler to come and buy land from the owner directly. All the talk about a state is empty words.”
International Condemnation Meets Israeli Resolve
The international community has voiced strong opposition to Israel’s latest West Bank plan. The UK, the European Union, and eight Muslim-majority countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, have all condemned the move. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his “grave concern.”
Despite this widespread criticism, Israel remains resolute. Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, asserted, “The history of the Jewish people is full of attempts to detach the Jewish people from the land of Israel. It did not happen in the past, and it will not happen in the future.”
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) reiterated that settlements are “illegal under international law” and that altering the demographic composition of Palestine is “unacceptable.” They affirmed that “A two-state solution remains the only viable path to long-term peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”
However, Mr. Lecker expressed scepticism about the efficacy of mere statements. “The state is now ruled by extremist, right-wing parties,” he observed. “We wanted to believe there would be more involvement of foreign states, including friends of Israel… to put pressure on the state… [to] not continue with the way [it] acts in the West Bank.”
Ms. Michaeli concluded that the concept of a two-state solution is rapidly diminishing, particularly as the international community continues to repeat the same rhetoric without concrete action. “As long as the international community continues to repeat this mantra of a two-state solution, while not taking any action that could enable Palestinian territorial contiguity… we are going to live in a totally unrealistic fantasy.”
