Occupied West Bank: Israeli settlers set up new outpost

Israeli settlers have set up and expanded a new settlement outpost in Jabal al-Najma in Qaryut, in the Occupied West Bank, according to the Middle East Eye citing local media and Al Jazeera on November 13th.

Reportedly, bulldozers were used to establish and expand the settlement outpost. There are more than 100 Israeli settlements across the West Bank, some of which resemble small towns and suburbs with residential buildings, shops and parks.

It was reported on November 3rd, that the Israeli military started a demolition operation in Wadi Rahal, south of Bethlehem, which could have been linked to the E1 settlement plan, which would allow Jewish settlements to expand through the construction of more than 3,400 new homes.

Bezalel Smotrich, the Israeli Finance Minister, unveiled plans on September 3rd to annex 82% of the West Bank, which effectively splits the territory and makes the prospect of a Palestinian state virtually impossible.

Under the plan, only six isolated Palestinian enclaves would remain outside of Israeli control, reflecting Smotrich’s aim to seize “maximum land with minimum [Palestinian] population.”

The annexation plan comes against a backdrop of the “Greater Israel” plan, which envisages Israel expanding its borders into the occupied Palestinian territories, Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, along with parts of Jordan and Syria. Netanyahu has proclaimed that he was on a “historic and spiritual mission” in pursuit of a “Greater Israel.”

Israel seized control of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and the Syrian Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War. The Golan Heights was formally annexed by Israel in 1981, a move that the US recognises as legitimate.

Throughout the West Bank and Occupied East Jerusalem, more than 700,000 Israelis live in roughly 160 settlements, despite the settlements being recognised as illegal.

On July 31st, it was reported that settlers were sabotaging the water supplies of Palestinians, in an effort to displace Palestinians from their land. The attacks targeted water pipes, wells, and distribution areas, while settlers also took over the computer system that sent water to Palestinian villages, essentially cutting off access to clean water.

In 2022, Israeli forces confiscated over 113,000 dunams (113 square kilometres) of land and demolished 950 Palestinian homes. These actions were part of a broader campaign to expand Jewish-only settlements, and resulted in the destruction of olive trees.

Middle East Eye via local media and Al Jazeera, Maghrebi.org