Israel Allows the Expansion and Entrenchment of Settlement Outposts in Area B

Over the past two and a half years, settlers have established at least 21 outposts in Area B of the West Bank. While officials in the Israeli military and government have repeatedly claimed that these outposts are dismantled, in practice they continue to multiply, become more firmly established, and expand. Some are already home to families, others now include synagogues, and in at least one case a coffee cart has been installed to serve the many visitors arriving at the site.

A year and a half after Peace Now first exposed the establishment of new settlement outposts in Area B, the phenomenon has not been halted. On the contrary, it has continued to grow and become entrenched. The outposts established during 2024 remain in place, many have expanded with additional structures and residents, and new outposts have been established. This development undermines one of the fundamental principles of the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement (Oslo B), under which Area B is under full Palestinian civil jurisdiction, including authority over planning and construction.

In recent days, Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the phenomenon and stated that the outposts established in Area B should be evacuated. Despite this declaration, the outposts continue to spread and expand.

From Seven Outposts to More Than Twenty

At the end of 2024, Peace Now’s Settlement Watch team documented seven new settlement outposts established in Area B, the first such outposts since the signing of the Oslo Accords. Since then, those outposts have expanded and many additional outposts have been established. At least five of the new outposts have been established in the “Agreed Upon Reserve” east and south of Bethlehem, an area that has become a focal point of government and settler efforts to displace the Palestinian presence. Additional outposts have been established in the Ramallah area, the South Hebron Hills, the Nablus area, and east of Bethlehem/Hebron.

Although the Civil Administration periodically dismantles some of these outposts, all of them are subsequently re-established and continue to expand. Some are inhabited by groups of young settlers, while others already include families with children. After initially erecting tents and livestock pens, most of the outposts gradually develop permanent infrastructure, including concrete foundations, permanent buildings, synagogues, and in at least one case, a coffee cart serving visitors. As in other settlement outposts across the West Bank, the presence of only a small number of settler families is sufficient to establish effective control over extensive grazing lands and prevent Palestinians from accessing them.

Peace Now: “The establishment of settlement outposts deep inside Area B demonstrates the government’s annexation agenda and its efforts to weaken the Palestinian Authority. Alongside the massive takeover of Area C, the government is allowing settlers to extend their control into areas that were transferred to Palestinian civil jurisdiction under the Oslo Accords. The fact that these outposts continue to expand even after the Prime Minister publicly stated that they should be evacuated shows that, in practice, the State is violating the agreements it signed and creating unprecedented tensions with the Palestinian population.”

A Change in Government Policy

Until the current government took office, no settlement outposts had been established in Area B. Over the years, settlers established at least three outposts that encroached into Area B after being built in Area C: Kumi Ori near Yitzhar, Ma’ale Rehavam east of Bethlehem, and Havat Gilad west of Nablus. In each of these cases, the Civil Administration demolished the structures built inside Area B, sometimes following lengthy legal proceedings.

The new generation of outposts is fundamentally different. Many have been established deep inside Area B, in some cases adjacent to Area A. These outposts dominate extensive areas and prevent Palestinians from accessing their agricultural land. In certain cases, such as the outpost near the village of Beitillu, settlers have taken over Palestinian-owned structures and incorporated them into the outpost. The establishment of outposts in Area B coincides with broader government decisions expanding Israeli enforcement powers in Areas A and B.

Alongside the growth of the outposts, the government has also begun enforcing planning and construction laws against Palestinian building in Area B. In July 2024, the Civil Administration was authorized to demolish Palestinian structures within the “Agreed Nature Reserve,” a power that had previously rested with the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Accords. Subsequently, Israel’s Security Cabinet decided that Civil Administration enforcement authorities would also operate in Areas A and B on matters relating to environmental protection, archaeology, and water resources. Taken together, the establishment of settlement outposts and the expansion of Israeli enforcement powers in Area B reflect a broader policy of blurring the distinction between Areas B and C and effectively dismantling key provisions of the Oslo Accords.

Direct Harm to Palestinian Communities

In the areas where these outposts have been established, Peace Now’s Settlement Watch team documented dozens of Palestinian homes and residential compounds that have been abandoned as a result of sustained settler violence and ongoing pressure. In some instances, settlers subsequently moved into the abandoned Palestinian homes. The establishment of these new outposts extends far beyond the placement of caravans. It is accompanied by the construction of new access roads, intensive livestock grazing, the takeover of water sources, and the displacement of Palestinian herding communities from extensive areas.