New outpost established in West Bank by Israeli settlers

A new outpost has been established by Israeli settlers within the Bedouin community of Shallal al-Auja, north of Jericho within the Occupied West Bank, according to the Middle East Eye via Wafa news agency on November 25th.

The general supervisor of the Al-Baidar Organisation for the Defence of Bedouin Rights, Hasan Mlehat, said that settlers erected structures in the ruins of an abandoned home, while also building metal barracks as well as internal divisions on the site.

Previously, a Bedouin community located east of Jerusalem came under attack by settlers on November 17th, as residents’ homes were hit by stones, while at night, settlers used loudspeakers to cause disturbance.

Across the West Bank and Occupied Jerusalem, an estimated 700,000 Israelis live in settlements; there are an estimated 160 settlements across the territories. Settlers sometimes place mobile homes in areas where they intend to form an outpost.

It was reported on November 13th, that settlers used bulldozers to establish and expand an outpost in Jabal al-Najma, Qaryut, located in the Occupied West Bank. Within the West Bank, Israel has constructed more than 100 settlements, some of which resemble small towns and suburbs, featuring apartment blocks, malls, and parks.

The number of settlers living in outposts is expected to increase due to the Israeli government’s plans to annex 82% of the West Bank, which would leave six isolated Palestinian enclaves outside of Israeli jurisdiction.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed off settlement expansion plans, which would permit the construction of over 3,400 new homes. The plan aims to increase settlements in the West Bank. As it stands, Ma’ale Adumim, is one of the largest settlements in the occupied West Bank, with a population of 40,000.

Netanyahu visited Ma’ale Adumim on September 11th, where he told its residents: “There will be no Palestinian state. This place belongs to us.” His decision to green-light the settlement expansion plan was met with approval from residents, with one resident, Dany Hadar, saying that the expansion “should have been carried out at least ten years ago.”

Violence against Palestinians in the occupied territories continues to escalate. In October, Israeli forces and settlers conducted more than 2000 attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank.

More than 135 Palestinians in the West Bank and Occupied Jerusalem were killed in 2023, prior to the October 7th Hamas-led attack on Israel. Since October 2023, more than 19,000 Palestinians within the West Bank have been detained by Israel’s authorities, as the authorities regularly conduct raids on Palestinian property.

Middle East Eye via Wafa, Maghrebi.org