How are Israeli settlers expanding illegal outposts amid the Gaza war ?
Every day, in the remote hills to the south of Hebron, located in the occupied West Bank, Abu al-Kabash would awaken to his most cherished possession: a collection of pomegranate and fig trees that stood tall above six distinct varieties of aloe plants surrounding his residence.
That is all gone.
Since Israel started its genoicdal war on Gaza following Hamas's October 7 attacks, the level of violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers against Palestinians has reached such an extent that the 76-year-old farmer was compelled to relinquish the ancestral land that had been inherited from his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.
“It was a choice between life or death,” Abu al-Kabash said.
He is not the only one, as there are many others. According to rights groups and the United Nations, over 1,200 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have been compelled to leave their residences since the commencement of the fighting.
According to data collected by activists and confirmed through satellite imagery, it has been observed that from October 2023 to January 2024, settlers residing in the occupied West Bank had constructed a minimum of 15 outposts and 18 roadways, which are considered unlawful according to both Israeli and international legislation. Furthermore, the settlers constructed extensive stretches of fences and numerous roadblocks, which served to further restrict the movement of Palestinian natives.
The extraordinary displacement has resulted in the fragmentation of at least 15 Palestinian communities thus far, while Israeli settlers rapidly increase their presence. According to experts, their objective is to alter the population composition of the West Bank while undermining the foundation of the land designated for a future Palestinian state.
“When there is a war, that is when settlers take advantage and try to establish as many outposts as they can,” said Mauricio Lapchik, an activist affiliated with Peace Now, an Israeli organization that meticulously records and documents settlement operations. The organization observed a comparable increase in unauthorized outposts during the period of the second Intifada in the early 2000s.
Outposts are usually makeshift colonies that vary in size from individual caravans to several modular constructions constructed on rural Palestinian lands.
They are constructed by individuals belonging to Israel's broader settler movement, whose objective is to establish an Israeli presence on Palestinian land that is unlawfully seized. The architects of the outpost are frequently motivated by an extreme ideology that requires the Jewish population to inhabit all Palestinian lands and expel the indigenous Palestinians.
Israel, however, deems only the outposts as unlawful, asserting that they were constructed without official authorization from the government. However, outposts are often approved retroactively as settlements.
The satellite imagery below reveals that during the initial four months of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, there has been a proliferation of outposts throughout the occupied West Bank. This indicates that Israeli settlers have grown more audacious and are expanding their presence into regions that are further away from established colonial settlements.
- An outpost positioned west of the Palestinian community of Battir, situated within a region recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site:
Before: September 30, 2023. Source: Planet Labs.
After: March 2, 2024. Source: Planet Labs.
- A recently established Israeli outpost adjacent to the Geva Binyamin colonial settlement:
Before: October 7, 2023. Source: Planet Labs.
After: March 12, 2024. Source: Planet Labs.
- The Sde Yonatan outpost has been rebuilt on privately owned Palestinian land, located to the south of the Palestinian community of Dir Dibwan:
Before: October 7, 2023. Source: Planet Labs.
After: February 28, 2024. Source: Planet Labs.
Establishing a presence in isolated places heavily relies on the construction of illegal roads, and multiple roads have been created through cutting inside privately owned Palestinian lands since October 7th.
The numerous illegal roads not only encroach upon Palestinian lands but make Palestinian farmers and herders well aware that the numerous illegal roads are dangerous to travel due to the possibility of Israeli settlers attacking them.
The satellite photos shown below display numerous newly constructed roads that have been established since October 7th, connecting outposts to other Israeli-controlled regions, including settlements or farms.
- An illegal road to the west of Revava colonial settlement, constructed on Palestinian land:
Before: October 7, 2023. Source Planet Labs.
After: March 6, 2024. Source Planet Labs.
- An illegal road leading to the Sde Yonatan outpost:
Before: October 7, 2023. Source Planet Labs.
After: February 28, 2024. Source Planet Labs.
- An illegal road leading to the Peduel colonial settlement:
Before: October 7, 2023. Source: Planet Labs.
After: February 28, 2024. Source: Planet Labs.
Settlers in the occupied West Bank employ coercive tactics, including violent intimidation or the construction of outposts and highways surrounding Palestinian communities, to displace them from their land. This forces Palestinian natives to relocate in search of safety and means of supporting their families.
This phenomenon has been occurring for several decades, but it has increased in both scale and intensity since the beginning of the war. This escalation has occurred in addition to an already unprecedented year of violence in the Palestinian territories.
Between January and October 2023, the United Nations documented a minimum of 1,038 instances of settler violence, resulting in an average of three attacks each day. The figure has almost tripled since October 7.
On October 7, Hamas fighters launched an assault on colonies in the southern region of Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,139 individuals, and the capture of almost 240 persons.
The attack on Israel, which occurred after more than 16 years of Israeli blockade and repeated attacks on the enclave, resulted in a fierce response. The Israeli military has caused the deaths of over 40,000 individuals in the Gaza Strip and forced the entire population of 2.3 million people to leave their homes, resulting in more than 80 percent of the enclave being destroyed.
On October 12, a significant number of settlers came at the village of Wadi al-Siq, which has a population of approximately 180 individuals. The settlers were wearing military attire, heavily armed, and accompanied by the Israeli police.
“This land is not yours,” community leader and farmer Abu Bashar recounted, as he vividly remembered a settler shouting at him on the eve of his forced departure from his property in the mountainous region east of Ramallah. They demolished their homes, shattered windows, and stole livestock.
According to rights groups and Palestinian villagers, Israeli soldiers frequently support and endorse the actions of settlers.
“Nothing happens without military support, it can be more or less direct, but it's always there,” stated Droro Etkes, the founder of Kerem Navot, an organization dedicated to monitoring land management policies for over twenty years.
Israeli authorities said they frequently take action against illegal construction. However, they did not provide an explanation as to why the outposts still exist, nor did they react to inquiries on the presence of Israeli soldiers and their backing during settlers' violent attacks.
During the 1990s, under the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu, who is also currently the prime minister of Israel, outposts experienced significant growth. According to estimations from Kerem Navot, they have expanded to encompass over 390,000 square kilometers (150,000 square miles).
However, Israeli settler presence is being firmly established through means other than outposts.
Israel has constructed over 160 settlements in the West Bank since 1967, characterized by their vibrant red roofs, tall fences, and imported pine trees, which are scattered throughout the occupied Palestinian territory.
In the late 1990s, the government initiated the expansion of existing settlements by issuing housing permits instead of constructing new ones. The election of the current far-right government in 2022 was perceived as advantageous for the settler movement.
Currently, there is a population of around 700,000 settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories, which accounts for about 11 percent of Israel’s total population of almost 7 million.
In the previous year, the government moved the authority to manage settlement land administration from the military to civilian officials. The United Nations stated that this action might potentially make it easier for the West Bank to be annexed.
Netanyahu granted Bezalel Smotrich, a settler and leader of the far-right Religious Zionism party, settlement planning approval control in the occupied West Bank. Smotrich is also a co-founder of the settler organization Regavim.
The minister proposed a plan last year to bring in an additional 500,000 settlers to the occupied Palestinian territories. On March 6, Israel's settlement-planning body announced the approval of the construction of around 3,500 new home units in the West Bank. This is the first instance of such action since October 7.
Palestinian land and the ability of Palestinians to reach it are diminishing, nevertheless, displaced individuals such as Abu al-Kabash have not completely lost their hope for returning to their fertile land.
“Life is scary, but we want to go back,” Abu Al-Kabash said.