Israel to establish military base in occupied West Bank

Amid rising tensions in the Middle East, Israel is reportedly planning to establish a permanent military base in the occupied West Bank, according to the Middle East Eye via Haaretz on June 12th.

The Israeli military is planning to establish the base in Jenin, marking the first such installation in an area under Palestinian Authority (PA) civil and security control since the 1993 Oslo Accords.

According to the military, the base is “intended to replace the presence of forces in residents’ homes [in the Jenin refugee camp], and to regulate troop deployment in the area from a long-term perspective, as part of creating the operational conditions for a safe withdrawal from the refugee camp.”

Reportedly, the base will be located near the Jenin refugee camp, where Israeli forces have conducted operations since 2025 that displaced residents and damaged infrastructure.

Haaretz said the base would also likely protect Israeli settlements in the area; in January, Israel’s military announced plans to arm Jewish settlers in the West Bank.

An estimated 700,000 settlers reside in Jewish-only settlements in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem; this is despite settlement expansion being illegal under international law.

Despite the illegality of settlement expansion, Mike Huckabee, the US Ambassador to Israel, has backed expansion plans, along with the “Greater Israel” plan.

Under this plan, Israel’s borders would expand to encompass all the occupied Palestinian territories, Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, and parts of Jordan and Syria.

Several European nations have condemned plans to expand Jewish settlements and expressed support for a Palestinian state, despite ongoing arms exports to Israel.

On June 9th, Britain, Canada, France and Norway announced sanctions against Israeli settlers following escalating settler violence.

Jewish settlement efforts are not limited to the West Bank and Jerusalem, as settler groups have sought to establish outposts in Gaza and Syria’s Golan Heights.

This is despite Gazan settlements being dismantled in 2005 under then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s disengagement plan.

Furthermore, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has encouraged Jewish immigration to Israel as part of efforts to maintain a Jewish demographic majority.

In December 2025, Defence Minister Israel Katz announced plans to construct Nahal settlements in northern Gaza, referring to settlements built to encourage Haredi Jews to enlist in the military.

Maghrebi contacted Israel’s Ministry of Defence for comment on plans to establish a military base in Jenin, but has not received a response at the time of publication.

Middle East Eye via Haaretz, Maghrebi.org