Peace Now said that settlers have established seven colonial outposts in the occupied West Bank.

The organization explained in a press release published on its website that the seven colonial outposts were established in Area B during a period ranging from two to six months in the past.

She explained that 5 of these outposts are located in a large area of land east and southeast of the city of Bethlehem, and that one of the other two colonial outposts was established east of the "Ofra" settlement in the middle of the West Bank, on lands owned by the village of "Ein Yabrud".

The other outpost is located to the north, near the Shilo settlement, south of the Adei Ad settlement outpost, which was built on lands belonging to the village of Turmus Ayya.

The organization indicated in its statement that some citizens were displaced from these areas for fear of attacks by the settlers, who later seized their homes.

The United Nations considers Israeli settlements illegal and calls for their cessation, warning that they undermine the chances of resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in accordance with the principle of a two-state solution.

Settlement in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has witnessed a significant increase since the current right-wing government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu came to power in December 2022.

According to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, the occupation army and settlers carried out 16,663 attacks on Palestinian lands and properties from October 7, 2023 to October 7, 2024, taking advantage of the circumstances of war and aggression against our people in order to impose new facts on the ground.

During the same period, settlers, under the protection of the occupation army, established 29 colonial outposts, concentrated in the Hebron Governorate with 8 outposts, Ramallah with 6 outposts, Bethlehem with 4 outposts, and 3 in Nablus, in addition to paving 7 roads to facilitate the movement of settlers and connect outposts to existing settlements.

The occupation authorities legalized 11 colonial outposts and transformed them into colonies or settlement neighborhoods affiliated with existing colonies, and referred a total of 9 other outposts to legalization procedures.