A Comprehensive Colonial Plan: Occupation Swallows Northern West Bank with 18 New Settlements and Billions in Funding

Translation by SadaNews - The northern West Bank is witnessing a real revolution. A long-awaited project by settlers is being executed at an accelerated pace. The settlers' representatives in the government are reaping political gains, supported by the army which facilitates their course. The revolution began immediately after the right-wing government took the constitutional oath, and its pace quickened on October 7.

The essence of this tragedy lies in the reconstruction of the settlements that were evacuated during the withdrawal process, in remote areas within the Palestinian territories, where settlers have hardly been seen for the past twenty years. The number of these strategic sites being seized by settlers is eighteen, threatening the continuity of Palestinian life in the West Bank.

Israel's return to the area includes deploying military forces, establishing bases to protect settlements, building roads, confiscating land, and intimidating Palestinians, according to SadaNews's translation, citing the Hebrew newspaper "Haaretz".

According to SadaNews's translation, it is clear to senior officials of the Israeli occupation army that this step could ignite the flames of conflict in the region. However, the settlers' leadership praises it, stating: "This is what redemption looks like".

Northern West Bank

The struggle for the northern West Bank is one of the most notable developments in recent years. Unlike other areas of the West Bank, the region north of Nablus is almost entirely devoid of settlements.

720,000 Palestinians

Over 720,000 Palestinians live in the northern West Bank, and under the "disengagement" plan of 2005, occupation forces evacuated four isolated settlements from the area, which housed a small number of settlers. Since then, the presence of settlers in the area has nearly vanished, resulting in a significant decrease in the number of occupation soldiers stationed there.

"Disengagement" Law

A series of decisive decisions made by the occupation government is changing the situation; the cancellation of the Disengagement Law in March 2023 allowed settlers to return to the evacuated settlements. Several settlers have already returned to the "Homesh and Shaked" settlements.

According to SadaNews's translation, "There are two more settlements on the way: Ganim is expected to house a group of graduates from the Bnei David Ali religious school, and Kadim will house a group of religious settlers from Tel Aviv. The area of these two settlements will be larger than before".

18 New Settlements

The occupation has not only renewed four evacuated settlements but has also approved the establishment of 14 additional settlements that further fragment and tighten the land available to Palestinians, many of which are located in strategic positions.

Massive Funding and Legal Mechanisms to Accelerate the Colonial Project in the West Bank

In this context, the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission stated that "the occupation government's intention to allocate approximately one billion shekels to finance the establishment of dozens of new colonial sites in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, represents a new step in the path of accelerating the colonial project and translating the political decisions taken by the government in recent years into solid material facts on Palestinian land".

The head of the commission, Minister Shaaban, explained that the current Israeli government has approved the establishment of 103 new colonial sites since its formation about three and a half years ago, including new settlements, colonial outposts that have started to be legalized, in addition to colonial neighborhoods being separated and turned into independent settlements. The new funding targets around 61 colonial sites that have not yet been completed, by providing the necessary infrastructure and basic services needed to transform them from government plans and decisions into actually existing colonial clusters.

He added that the danger of the decision lies not only in the budget size but also in the mechanisms that the occupation government seeks to use to circumvent the planning and construction procedures in place even within the legal framework imposed on the West Bank. According to circulating data, the government intends to classify many of the facilities to be established as "temporary" installations or use military orders and legal exceptions for projects of "national importance", allowing for the initiation of construction and infrastructure work before completing the required planning procedures.

He confirmed that this step is part of a comprehensive path combining funding, planning, and legal and administrative procedures.

The Israeli government has recently approved an additional allocation of 152 million shekels to the Ministry of Housing to expedite the planning procedures for the new colonial sites, reflecting the existence of a comprehensive government plan that provides the political, financial, planning, and legal cover to expand the colonial project in an unprecedented manner.