11/11/2025 – Union for Justice Foundation
The Union for Justice Foundation reported that Israeli occupation authorities seized more than 209.3 dunams of Palestinian land in the West Bank during October.
According to the Foundation, the land seizures were concentrated in the governorates of Qalqilya, Jerusalem, Nablus, Ramallah, and al-Bireh, noting that most confiscation orders serve settlement-related purposes—either to expand existing Israeli settlements or to develop the infrastructure attached to them, such as roads, fences, and buffer zones.
In most cases, land seizure orders are issued by the so-called “military commander of the area”, a position within the Israeli army, which typically claims that such confiscations are needed for “military and security purposes.”
The Union for Justice Foundation stressed that Israeli confiscation policies mainly aim to turn many Palestinian towns and villages into isolated enclaves and to prevent any geographic continuity between them, thereby restricting urban expansion for Palestinian communities.
In theory, Israeli authorities claim that Palestinians can challenge confiscation orders in court. However, in practice, Palestinians rarely pursue legal appeals—believing such efforts to be ineffective—on top of the high financial cost and lengthy court proceedings that can drag on for years.
According to the Foundation’s documentation, the first confiscation last month took place on October 5, when Israeli authorities issued an order to seize 35.31 dunams of land belonging to the village of Kafr Qaddum, east of Qalqilya, to build 58 new settlement units for the settlement of “Mitzpe Yishai,” which is built on the village’s land.
On October 15, the occupation authorities issued two military orders to seize 25 dunams of land from the town of Azzun and the village of Jayyus in Qalqilya for settlement and expansion projects.
Public Benefit: Another Cover for Settlement Expansion
On October 19, Israeli authorities issued a decision to seize an unspecified plot of Palestinian land in Jabal al-Mukabbir in occupied Jerusalem, citing “public benefit.”
Although Israel often uses the “public benefit” pretext to justify the construction of roads, infrastructure, or public parks, human rights organizations and Palestinian testimonies confirm that this justification is frequently used as a covert means to seize Palestinian land—particularly in Jerusalem and its surroundings—for the purpose of expanding Israeli settlements and the separation wall.
Notably, the “public benefit” law is not applied equally to land owned by Jewish Israelis, showing that its application predominantly targets Palestinians.
Buffer Zones: Yet Another Justification for Settlement Control
Also on October 19, authorities issued an order to seize 70.14 dunams of land belonging to the villages of Qaryut, al-Lubban al-Sharqiya, and al-Sawiya, south of Nablus, to establish a buffer zone around the settlement of Eli, founded in 1984 and home to more than 5,000 settlers.
On October 22, occupation authorities reactivated decades-old seizure orders affecting hundreds of dunams of land in Qalandiya, north of Jerusalem. These orders date back to the 1970s and 1980s and were intended to expand the colonial industrial zone of Atarot, plans that had long been stalled due to objections from Palestinian landowners.
On October 26, Israeli authorities issued military orders to seize 73 dunams of land belonging to residents of Kafr Malik, Deir Jarir, al-Taybeh, and Ras Karkar, east and west of Ramallah and al-Bireh, for purposes serving three nearby settlements: Kochav HaShahar, Rimonim, and Talmon.
On October 31, authorities issued an order to seize 5 dunams and 856 square meters of land in Anata (Jerusalem governorate) to build a settlement road linking the settlement of Nofei Prat to Route 437.
The Union for Justice Foundation reaffirmed that international law strictly prohibits the acquisition of land by force, and that any confiscation resulting from military occupation is illegal. The West Bank—including East Jerusalem—and the Gaza Strip are considered occupied territories under United Nations resolutions and the Geneva Conventions.
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