“In 2024, 52 outposts were established across the West Bank, with those in Area B constituting approximately 13.5 percent of the total.”
Israeli authorities have built at least seven illegal settlement outposts inside Area B of the West Bank, for the first time since the Oslo Accords, an Israeli rights group said.
“Five of these outposts were established in the area known as the “Agreed-Upon Reserve,” located east and south of Bethlehem,” Peace Now said in a statement on Sunday.
Two additional outposts were established near Ramallah—one south of the settlement of Ofra on lands belonging to the Palestinian village of Ein Yabrud, and another on lands of the village of Turmus Ayya, south of the outpost Adi Ad and the settlement of Amichai, the group said.
Oslo II Agreement
Under the 1995 Interim Agreement (Oslo II) between Israel and the Palestinians, “Area B was designated as an area under full Palestinian civil control (including planning and construction authority), with Israeli security control,” Peace Now explained.
The group said that for years, successive Israeli governments refrained from establishing settlements or outposts in areas under Palestinian control. While there have been isolated cases of outposts expanding into the edges of Area B, “these were usually dismantled by the Civil Administration shortly after their establishment.”
*Peace Now Exposes: For the First Time since Oslo Accords, 7 Outposts Established in West Bank Area B*
1. Five of the outposts were established in the area called the “Agreed-Upon Reserve,” while the other two were established in the Ramallah area.
…/2 pic.twitter.com/Z1s4FRPuHP— Hagit Ofran חגית עופרן (@hagitofran) December 22, 2024
“In 2024, 52 outposts were established across the West Bank, with those in Area B constituting approximately 13.5% of the total,” said Peace Now.
The group pointed out that after “seizing control of Area C and systematically displacing Palestinians through house demolitions and settler violence, settlers have now set their sights on Area B. “
‘Blatant’ Violation
It said the Israeli government’s annexation plans are not limited to Area C.
“By enabling settlers to establish outposts deep in Area B, the government blatantly violates another critical element of the Oslo Accords. If we do not act today, we will find ourselves returning to full military rule across the entire West Bank,” Peace Now stated.
The group stressed that the “phenomenon of settlers expanding into Area B is not new.”
Brave Palestinians confront Israeli settlers who tried to take over their land in the West Bank!💪🏻🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/HcIakhx3xp
— ZAINABZEHRA (@ZAINABALI_72) December 14, 2024
Over the years, settlers have established at least three outposts that encroached into Area B: Kumi Ori near Yitzhar south of Nablus, Ma’ale Rehavam east of Bethlehem, and Havat Gilad west of Nablus.
‘Legal Battles’
In these cases, the Civil Administration “demolished the structures that extended into Area B, often following legal battles,” said Peace Now.
“However, the new outposts established in 2024 differ significantly. Most of them are located hundreds of meters from the border with Area C, and the Civil Administration has taken almost no action to evacuate them,” it added.
‘Great Opportunity’ for Permanent War: What if Israel Annexed the West Bank?
Peace Now’s Settlement Watch team recently documented dozens of homes that had housed Palestinian families but were recently abandoned. Israeli settlers have since taken over some of these homes, the group said.
Palestinian Homes Demolished
The Oslo II Accord of 1995 divided the West Bank into three zones: Area A under full Palestinian control, Area B under Palestinian civil and administrative control and Israeli security control, and Area C under full Israeli civil, administrative, and security control, the Anadolu news agency reported.
“We will keep coming back until this house is destroyed.”
For decades, Palestinian farmer Atta Jaber has had to fend off Israeli settlers attempting to take his land in the occupied West Bank. Witness a confrontation he had with the ‘Hilltop Youth’, a hardcore group of settlers.… pic.twitter.com/0loKg1EheN
— Witness Docs (@AJWitness) November 24, 2024
All Israeli illegal settlements are located in the West Bank’s Area C which comprises 60% of the West Bank. Israel severely restricts Palestinians’ construction in the area and widely demolishes Palestinian homes there under the pretext of lack of a construction permit.
Israeli estimates indicate that more than 720,000 Israelis now live in illegal settlements and outposts in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to Anadolu.
Expansion under Netanyahu
Settlement construction has accelerated significantly since Israel’s right-wing government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, came to power in December 2022.
‘Largest Land Seizure in Decades’ – Israel Confiscates 5,930 Acres in West Bank
The international community, including the UN, considers these settlements illegal under international law. The UN has repeatedly warned that continued settlement expansion threatens the viability of a two-state solution.
In July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a ruling that declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian territories “illegal” and called for the immediate evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
(PC, Anadolu)
