“Union for Justice”: The Occupation Continues to Fragment Jenin Governorate and Reshape Its Geography
31/10/2026 – Union for Justice Foundation
The Union for Justice Foundation stated that, since the beginning of this year, the Israeli occupation authorities have continued to fragment Jenin Governorate and reshape its geography through the accelerated return of settlement activity, accompanied by the demolition of Palestinian structures and the confiscation of land.
The Foundation added: “The occupation authorities are seeking to transform Jenin Governorate, which covers an area of 583 square kilometres and accounts for approximately 9.7% of the West Bank’s total area, into fragmented and divided cantons isolated from their Palestinian surroundings through settlements, military bases belonging to the Israeli occupation army, and the road network serving them.”
The Foundation noted that Jenin, whose lands are predominantly agricultural, had remained free of settlements for the past twenty years following the disengagement plan approved by the Israeli occupation government in 2005, under which four settlements in the governorate were dismantled: Ganim, Kadim, Homesh, and Sanur.
15 Settlements and 4 Military Sites
According to the Union for Justice Foundation, “Settlement activity in the governorate has accelerated, as has been the case in other Palestinian governorates, following the arrival of the extremist Israeli government to power in late 2022.”
The Foundation noted that the occupying state had decided to establish 11 new settlements in the governorate, in addition to returning to the four settlements that had previously been dismantled. This is alongside the establishment of four military sites belonging to the Israeli occupation army in Arraba, Sanur, near Haddad Tourist Village southeast of the city, and at the Al-Jabriyat site, which is located in the centre of the city within Area A, as classified under the Oslo Accords.
The project is not limited to restoring a symbolic settlement presence; rather, it encompasses a fully integrated urban infrastructure, including homes, roads, infrastructure networks, and public facilities. This reflects an intention to establish a permanent colonial presence that can be expanded in the future.
The Foundation continued: “What is taking place in Jenin Governorate represents a complete transformation of its geography. Vast areas of agricultural land and olive groves have been turned into construction sites, while Israeli bulldozers continue to carve out roads, establish military installations, and demolish every Palestinian structure that stands in their way.”
The expansion of the Israeli road network has also altered Palestinian movement patterns, creating increasing difficulties for residents of the villages of Arraba, Marka, Al-Masliyah, Qabatiya, Jaba, Al-Fandaqumiyah, and Silat al-Harithiya in reaching the city of Jenin.
Iron Gates and Military Checkpoints
Alongside settlement expansion and the alteration of the governorate’s geographical features, the occupation authorities have worked to tighten their control over Palestinian villages and towns in Jenin, effectively turning them into large prisons through the installation of numerous military checkpoints, iron gates, concrete blocks, and earthen barriers. Since the beginning of this year, the occupation forces have installed 26 new gates across the governorate.
According to the monitoring and documentation conducted by the Union for Justice Foundation, the occupation authorities began installing 10 iron gates last September at the entrances to the villages and towns of Al-Jalama, Arrana, the industrial zone in Jenin, Deir Abu Daif, the German-Jenin entrance, Abba, Umm al-Tut, Qabatiya, the Arab American University, and the Zababdeh junction.
During October, the occupation authorities installed four iron gates at the entrances to Ya’bad and on the roads leading to the villages of Kufeirat and Kafr Qud, southwest of the city, as well as at the main entrance to Wadi Da’oq village to the south. The occupation forces also installed several gates at the entrances to Arraba, south of Jenin, three new gates at the main entrance to Marka village, another at the entrance to Al-Zawiya village, and a further gate near Arraba Station in southern Jenin Governorate.
Confiscation of More Than 600 Dunums
Since the beginning of this year, the occupation authorities have issued several orders to confiscate hundreds of dunums of land in Jenin Governorate, at times under the pretext of military purposes and at others to expand new Israeli settlements.
According to the monitoring conducted by the Union for Justice Foundation, the occupation authorities have confiscated a total of 613.43 dunums of land in the governorate since the beginning of this year.
In January, the occupation authorities notified residents of Al-Fandaqumiyah, south of Jenin, of the confiscation of approximately 140 additional dunums of village land located in three land parcels. This was in addition to a previous order to seize 311 dunums, bringing the total area of land seized to approximately 450 dunums.
In March, the occupation authorities issued an order to seize 2.8 dunums of land in Jaba, south of Jenin, located near the entrance to the Tarsala site and adjacent to the road connecting Jenin and Nablus, for the purpose of establishing a military checkpoint. They also issued an order to seize 132.2 dunums of land in Arraba, south of Jenin Governorate, for military purposes.
In April, the occupation authorities issued an order to seize 8.95 dunums of land in Al-Fandaqumiyah village, south of Jenin, for the purpose of expanding the Tarsala settlement.
In May, the occupation authorities issued an order to seize approximately seven dunums of land in the Al-Jabriyat neighbourhood, an area overlooking Jenin Refugee Camp and located within Area A, for the purpose of establishing military towers. They also issued an order to seize 61.65 dunums of land in Zibda village, near Ya’bad southwest of Jenin, for military purposes. In addition, they issued an order to seize 22 dunums of land in Qabatiya, near the Haddad Tourist Village area, for the benefit of the Kadim and Ganim settlements, which were evacuated in 2005.
In June, the occupation authorities notified residents of Jaba of their intention to take possession of approximately 2.8 dunums of land in the town, located near the Tarsala settlement, which was established on land belonging to Sanur and has recently been re-established.
In July, the occupation authorities issued an order to seize 22.02 dunums of land in Al-Yamun, west of Jenin. They also issued a series of military orders to take possession of approximately 200 dunums of land belonging to villages and towns across Jenin Governorate, including Arraba, Al-Yamun, Qabatiya, Masliyah, Marka, and Jirba.
In August, the occupation authorities issued a military order to seize 3.53 dunums of land in Marka, in the Al-Hafira area of Jenin.
At the beginning of September, according to the monitoring conducted by the Union for Justice Foundation, the occupation authorities issued an order to confiscate 7.49 dunums of land in Qabatiya, Jenin Governorate, under a military order described as “immediate and urgent”, citing “security and military” grounds. Before the end of the month, they issued another order to take possession of an additional 2.25 dunums of land in the same town for military purposes.
At the beginning of October, the occupation authorities issued a new military order to take possession of 0.74 dunums of land in the Al-Jabriyat neighbourhood of Jenin, within Area A, for the establishment and expansion of a military site belonging to the Israeli occupation army.
Demolition of Homes
Since the beginning of this year, and according to the monitoring conducted by the Union for Justice Foundation, the occupation authorities have carried out more than 21 demolition operations in Jenin Governorate, resulting in the destruction of dozens of residential homes, commercial and industrial shops, agricultural structures, and sheds used for raising poultry and livestock.
The Union for Justice Foundation stresses that the ongoing demolition of Palestinian structures carried out by the occupation authorities in Jenin forms part of their policies aimed at redrawing the governorate’s geography, imposing further restrictions on Palestinians, and preventing their urban expansion in the face of growing settlement expansion across the governorate.
The Union for Justice Foundation publishes below the details of the demolition operations and the direct financial losses resulting from them:
14 January 2026: Occupation forces blew up the home of prisoner Ahmad Abu al-Rub in Qabatiya, south of Jenin.
27 January 2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished four homes in Bartaa, northwest of Jenin, belonging to citizens Omar Abdul Aziz Qabha, Jamal Abdul Aziz Qabha, and Amjad Abdul Aziz Qabha, under the pretext that they were located in Area C.
10 February 2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished three homes in the Khour al-Dab’ah neighbourhood of Bartaa, southwest of Jenin. Two belonged to the Qabha family, while the third belonged to citizen Amir Ata. The demolitions were carried out under the pretext of construction without a permit.
17 February 2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished the three-storey home of martyr Ra’fat Dawasah in Silat al-Harithiya, west of Jenin city, after evacuating neighbouring homes.
25 February 2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished several buildings and commercial shops at the entrance to Anza village, south of Jenin, belonging to citizen Nasser al-Awwad, in addition to Al-Adel Café at the village entrance.
25 March 2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished a wall surrounding a home and part of a car showroom in Al-Zawiya village, south of Jenin, along the road connecting Jenin and Nablus. The property belonged to citizen Jamal Abu al-Wafa.
8 June 2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished eight homes in Bartaa, southwest of Jenin, including two inhabited homes and six homes under construction. The demolition was part of an order targeting 20 homes in the town, inhabited by approximately 20 families comprising more than 100 people. Around 120 homes in the town remain threatened with demolition.
14 June 2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished several homes, buildings, and commercial warehouses in the Khour al-Dab’ah area of eastern Bartaa, west of Jenin city, under the pretext of construction without a permit.
15 July 2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished a three-storey building near the entrance to Anza village, south of Jenin, belonging to citizen Hafez Abu Qiyas, under the pretext of construction without a permit. The building consisted of a ground floor containing three warehouses stocked with goods, a second floor containing unoccupied apartments, and a third floor that was still under construction. Each floor covered an area of 320 square metres.
15 July 2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished agricultural structures, greenhouses, a car wash, and a vehicle repair workshop near the entrance to Arraba, south of Jenin, under the pretext of construction without a permit.
26 July 2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished a home under construction located between Zababdeh and the American School, east of Jenin. The home belonged to citizen Khaled Abu al-Rub, covered an area of approximately 150 square metres, and was demolished under the pretext of construction without a permit.
27 July 2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished three buildings containing 18 commercial shops and two apartments at the Anza junction, south of Jenin. The properties belonged to citizens Musab Abu al-Wafa, Hisham Hantouli, and Mohammad Mufid Musa.
27 July 2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished the three-storey home of citizen Jihad Musa in the Arraba Station area, southwest of Jenin city. The building had a total area of approximately 1,055 square metres and contained five commercial shops on the ground floor, while the upper floors were designated as the family’s residence. The home accommodated eight family members.
11 August 2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished 12 commercial warehouses at the entrance to Anza village, south of Jenin, belonging to citizen Aysar Amour, after entering the area accompanied by two military bulldozers.
12 August 2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished 27 commercial, industrial, and agricultural structures in the Abba area, east of Jenin Governorate, under the pretext of construction without a permit, despite the fact that the land on which they stood was privately owned and supported by registered land title deeds (Tabu).
8 September 2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished two sheds in Silat al-Dhahr, south of Jenin Governorate. The first belonged to citizen Yusuf Jawdat Othman Musa, was used for raising sheep, and covered an area of approximately 200 square metres. The second belonged to citizen Khalil Ibrahim Hantouli and was used for storing and collecting scrap and iron.
23 September 2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished agricultural and residential structures in Abba, southeast of Jenin, including four horse stables, agricultural greenhouses, animal shelters, a home under construction, a wall, and two agricultural rooms.
13 October 2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished a single-storey, uninhabited home belonging to citizen Amjad Abu Ayyash in Al-Jalama village, north of Jenin.
13 October 2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished greenhouses and installed an iron gate at the main entrance to Arraba, south of Jenin.
19 October 2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished two sheds used as vehicle repair workshops near the Sanur military camp in Jaba, south of Jenin.
26 October 2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished agricultural and commercial structures near Haddad Tourist Village, south of Jenin. These included agricultural rooms, a car showroom, a recreational park, and greenhouses.
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