In the past year, development work has been carried out in the vicinity of the Migdalim settlement, south of Nablus. Palestinian olive groves were uprooted, roads were breached, and lands were prepared for agriculture by settlers. Under the shadow of the war, additional roads were breached, and a new outpost was established to the north of the settlement on private Palestinian land. The road leading to the Migdalim settlement also serves as the northern-eastern entrance to the Palestinian village of Qusra, but in November, the army blocked access to the village.
Peace Now: “The isolated settlement of Migdalim is deep within Palestinian territory and poses a barrier to any future political agreement. The government does nothing to stop the ideological settlers who allow themselves to confiscate lands and damage Palestinian property, establishing facts on the ground that not only escalates security tensions in the area but also hinder any political solution between Israel and the Palestinians.”
Outpost Established Amidst War and Land Seizure
Approximately a year ago, settlers uprooted around 37 dunams of Palestinian olive groves north of the settlement, within the lands of Qusra village. In early December 2023, following the outbreak of the war, settlers placed four mobile structures in this area and established a new outpost to the north of the settlement on private Palestinian land. The new outpost is situated in the heart of agricultural lands belonging to Qusra village. Recently, settlers also cultivated around 25 dunams of private land from the Jorish village, east of the Migdalim settlement.
After the war outbreak, settlers demanded that Palestinians refrain from harvesting the remaining olive groves near the settlement, citing security threats (“security threats” did not prevent settlers from going on protest marches with their young children in the orchard area near the homes of the village of Qusra). Concurrently, roads around the settlement were breached and expanded on private Palestinian lands. In November, the Israeli army blocked the main entrance to Qusra, adjacent to the entrance to the Migdalim settlement.
The New Outpost, North of the Migdalim Settlement, 04.01.2024
The Migdalim Settlement
The Migdalim settlement is located east of the Palestinian village of Qusra (south of Nablus). The settlement was established by a secular population in 1986. During the Second Intifada, many families left the settlement. In recent years, a religious settler population began moving into the community, leading to tensions between religious and secular residents. Many secular residents left, and those who remained are in constant confrontation with the growing religious-nationalist population. Since the entry of religious settlers into the settlement, there has been a construction boom, with dozens of new housing units built.
Land allocation for agriculture from the east to Migdalim, 04.01.24.
Blockade at the main entrance to Qusra, 04.01.24.
Bypass road breakthrough around the settlement of Migdalim, 04.01.24.