19 Settlement Outposts Established by Settlers in the West Bank Over the Past Two Months
15/9/2025 – Union for Justice Foundation
The Union for Justice Foundation stated that settler groups established 19 new settlement outposts in various locations on Palestinian lands in the West Bank during the past two months — July and August.
The foundation confirmed that the settlers are trying, through these outposts (6 in Hebron, 3 in Ramallah, 3 in Jericho, 3 in Bethlehem, 3 in Nablus, and 1 in Salfit), to impose a fait accompli, as if racing against time while exploiting the world’s preoccupation with what is happening in Gaza — especially under an extreme right-wing Israeli government that provides them with all forms of legal, security, and financial support.
The foundation explained that these outposts, which initially take on an agricultural or pastoral character, are different from officially authorized settlements established by government decision.
However, international law makes no distinction between the two types and considers all settlement activities in the West Bank to be in violation of international resolutions.
According to official statistics, the number of settlers in the West Bank by the end of 2024 had reached about 770,000, distributed across 180 settlements and 256 outposts, including 138 pastoral and agricultural outposts.
The foundation pointed out that the establishment of any outpost represents bad news for Palestinians, as it means preventing them from accessing their lands — a step that precedes confiscation — and it also entails daily attacks by settlers on homes and property.
In many cases, these outposts are located near large, long-established settlements, and the goal is to annex them to the parent settlement and expand its boundaries.
The foundation added:
“These outposts begin with a few tents and mobile homes powered by generators and supplied with water via tankers. They initially host a small number of settlers, but within a few years, they turn into large neighborhoods with full infrastructure and services, capable of accommodating thousands of Jews coming from abroad.”
Before establishing such outposts, settlers often launch attacks on nearby Palestinian villages and hamlets, especially in mountainous or hilltop areas, to intimidate Palestinians and force them to leave — making it easier to seize the land.
An Israeli report released last month revealed that settlers in the West Bank had seized over 381 square kilometers of Palestinian land — an area larger than the entire Gaza Strip.
Within these lands, there are 37 pastoral settlements, inhabited by only a few settlers — sometimes a single family or a handful of youths — but they still receive military protection that enables them to control the area.
The Union for Justice Foundation provided details of the 19 new outposts established in the past two months as follows:
July 1 – Settlers established a new outpost in the Muarrajatarea northwest of Jericho — the fifth along the Muarrajat road — involving tents, water tanks, a generator, and a metal fence.
July 3 – Settlers set up a new outpost near the Arab al-Malihat community northwest of Jericho, just 150 meters from Palestinian homes. They brought livestock, erected pens and tents, forcing 30 Palestinian families (out of 85) to flee their homes.
July 6 – Settlers began bulldozing 40 dunums east of Umm Safa village northwest of Ramallah to establish a new outpost.
July 8 – Settlers set up a tent and sheep pen atop Mount Hamrush in the town of Sa’ir, northeast of Hebron.
July 9 – Several tents were erected on lands between Burqa and Beit Imrin, northwest of Nablus.
July 12 – Settlers pitched tents between Deir Istiya and Qarawat Bani Hassan, northwest of Salfit, aiming to seize the land for a new settlement.
July 14 – Settlers set up several tents in the Al-Qarn area in the middle of Al-Maniya village southeast of Bethlehem, after uprooting 1,500 olive saplings — adding to two previous outposts established there since October 7, 2023.
They also seized about 250 dunums of land in Al-Maniya, whose population is around 3,000, and built a solar energy station to power the nearby settlements of Ma’ale Amos and Ibei Hanahal built on Kisan lands.
July 15 – A settler erected a large tent on lands in Beit Ula northwest of Hebron, seizing over 5 dunums, installing solar panels and a sheep pen.
August 2 – Settlers established a new outpost in Deir Alla, east of Bethlehem, near Kisan village, where over 15 Palestinian families had recently been expelled.
August 6 – Settlers began setting up a new outpost near the Nabi Saleh shrine in Idhna, west of Hebron, installing mobile rooms and structures after leveling the land.
August 10 – A new outpost was erected in Shallal al-Auja, north of Jericho, involving tin structures and portable cabins. Settlers also seized one belonging to a Palestinian.
August 11 – Mobile homes were placed on land belonging to the Al-Sabbah family near the Tekoa settlement southeast of Bethlehem.
August 11 – Another outpost was built in Jabal al-Khirba near Atara, northwest of Ramallah — an archaeological site of about 2,000 dunums.
August 18 – Settlers placed several tents on lands in Huwara, in the Masafer Yatta area south of Hebron, in preparation for a new outpost. Bulldozing work also took place near al-Halawa village, and Palestinians were prevented from accessing their land.
August 19 – A new outpost was set up on Aqraba lands south of Nablus, with tents, caravans, and Israeli flags raised on the western slope of Mount Qarqafa near the town entrance.
August 21 (reported as 11th in text) – The nucleus of an outpost was placed on Sinjil lands north of Ramallah, only a few dozen meters from the Ma’ale Levona settlement.
August 14 – Settlers began installing dozens of caravans in three new outposts (Adorim, Bnei Hefer, and Metzair Zeif) on lands belonging to Birin, Bani Na’im, and Hebron, east of Hebron — accompanied by assaults on Palestinians.
August 27 – Several mobile homes were installed near Palestinian homes east of Umm al-Kheir in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron. Settlers also carried out continuous bulldozing around the village, now surrounded by outposts on all sides.
At the same time, settlers expanded the Batma outpost near Khallet al-Dab’a, with new housing units, and also enlarged Mitzpe Yair settlement in Shaab al-Butum with additional caravans.
August 29 – Settlers began placing tents to establish a new outpost on Beit Dajan lands southeast of Nablus, linking geographically with the Jordan Valley.
