Widespread Settlement Escalation in the West Bank: 12 Injured in Settler Attacks and Approval of 13 New Settlements

Various areas in the occupied West Bank witnessed a new wave of attacks by Israeli settlers on Friday, resulting in injuries and bruises of varying degrees to 12 Palestinian citizens. These field attacks coincide with an Israeli political escalation, represented by the approval of the Ministerial Committee for Legislation (the 'Kabinett') of a massive settlement plan that includes the establishment of 13 new settlements in the heart of the West Bank.

In detail of the attacks, official sources in the Jerusalem Governorate reported that a group of settlers stormed the Bedouin village of Al-Tabna in the vicinity of Khan al-Ahmar, east of occupied Jerusalem. One settler ran over two Palestinian citizens with a motorcycle, while another used pepper spray against a group of young men, which prompted intervention from the residents to protect their property.

Following the villagers' resistance to the settlers' attempt to steal flocks of sheep, Israeli occupation forces intervened to provide protection to the attackers and arrested four Palestinians from the area. The Khan al-Ahmar area faces continuous threats of demolition and forced displacement, as part of a plan aimed at isolating occupied Jerusalem from its surroundings and fragmenting the geographical unity of the West Bank.

In the northern West Bank, specifically in the village of Yarza, east of Tubas, seven Palestinians suffered bruises and injuries after being brutally beaten by settlers. Mukhlis Masaeed, head of the village council, explained that the settlers attacked citizens who were trying to check on their homes, which they had been forced to evacuate months earlier under military threat.

Medical sources confirmed that two of the injured in Yarza village were transferred to the hospital for necessary treatment due to the severity of their injuries, while occupation forces detained the rest of the wounded and prevented ambulances from reaching them for a period of time. These attacks fall within the policy of intimidation practiced by settlers to push Palestinians towards voluntary departure from their pastoral and agricultural lands.

In the southern West Bank, three Palestinians were injured in the town of Idhna, west of Hebron, during an attack launched by settlers under direct protection from the occupation army. Ma'mar Tamizi, director of the Red Crescent Society in Hebron, stated that occupation forces fired rubber-coated metal bullets and sound grenades at citizens who tried to defend their lands and prevent the theft of their livestock.

Tamizi pointed out that one young man was hit by a metal bullet in the neck area, while two elderly men were severely beaten, resulting in bruises in various parts of their bodies. In a related context, the occupation army reinforced its military presence in the Al-Kureisa area on the outskirts of Dura city, where it began establishing a new military point aimed at tightening the noose on citizens' movements.

In Nablus Governorate, clashes erupted in the Wadi al-Sha'er area near the eastern village of Al-Lubban, after settlers opened fire towards citizens' homes. This escalation came after the villagers burned a tent in a pastoral settlement outpost, in response to settlers besieging a Palestinian vehicle and closing vital entrances to the village to traffic.

On the political front, Israeli reports revealed the Kabinett's approval of a plan to build 13 new settlements in the "Binyamin" area in the central West Bank. Occupation authorities are expected to begin implementing the first phase of this settlement project in the coming months, which portends a new wave of land confiscation and expansion of Israeli control.

In a related context, the Palestinian Center for Israeli Studies (MADAR) observed an unprecedented jump in the pace of establishing settlement outposts during the last three years. Data showed that the annual average of establishing outposts increased from 8 outposts in the last decade to 86 outposts in 2025, reflecting a clear government trend to resolve the conflict on the ground.

Press reports indicate the existence of a secret plan being prepared by extremist settlement movements aimed at bringing about a radical and comprehensive change in the map of the occupied West Bank. This plan directly targets areas classified as (A), which are under full Palestinian control according to signed agreements, representing a final undermining of the foundations of political settlement and the Oslo Accords.

International and Palestinian observers warn that the continuation of these systematic attacks and the expansion of settlements aims to create a new demographic and geographical reality that makes it impossible to establish a contiguous Palestinian state. The Palestinian authorities call on the international community to intervene immediately to stop the crimes of the settlers and provide international protection for the Palestinian people in light of the escalating pace of official and militia violence.

Displacement of Khan al-Ahmar residents will cut off geographical connection between the northern and southern West Bank, undermining the chances of establishing a Palestinian state.