Watan-A prominent leader of Israeli settlers in the West Bank has launched a scathing attack on the Israeli government and military, accusing them of failing to recognize that a “real war” is underway in the West Bank.
Shai Alon, head of the Beit El settlement council — built on land belonging to the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and al-Bireh and home to the Israeli Civil Administration HQ — criticized what he called Israel’s dismissive treatment of the West Bank as a “secondary front,” even after the October 7, 2023 war escalation.
Writing in Maariv, Alon called for a comprehensive military campaign to disarm Palestinian villages, including home raids and weapon seizures. He also urged the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority, the termination of the Oslo Accords, and the classification of the PA as a “terror-supporting entity.”
Alon proposed tight military sieges on villages from which attacks are launched and reinstating military checkpoints at the entrances of Palestinian cities. He emphasized the need to arm settlements with local militias and emergency teams, instead of relying solely on the Israeli army.
He equated the security of West Bank settlements with cities inside Israel, like Raanana and Ramat Gan, and lambasted the government’s focus on “lone wolf” attackers instead of eliminating what he called the “roots of the threat.” He called this approach a “disgrace,” demanding a bold political leadership to adopt a clearly offensive strategy.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Civil Administration’s Higher Planning Council is expected to approve 1,673 new settlement housing units in six West Bank settlements, including Beitar Illit (south of Bethlehem), Givat Ze’ev (northwest of Jerusalem), and Elon Moreh (east of Nablus).
With this round, 18,959 units have been promoted since the start of 2025, the highest annual number ever. Since November 2024, planning sessions have become nearly weekly after Netanyahu’s government scrapped a prior requirement for Defense Ministry approval for every stage of settlement planning.
This procedural shift aims to normalize the settlement process and minimize international and domestic backlash by approving smaller numbers more frequently.
A monthly report by the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission recorded 1,691 Israeli violations in May alone, including 1,276 by the military and 415 by settlers. The most affected areas were Ramallah (283), Hebron (271), and Nablus (265).
Violations included military raids, land confiscations, summary executions, home demolitions, olive tree uprootings, and widespread mobility restrictions. In one instance, settlers — under military protection — sparked wildfires in Salfit villages such as Bruqin and Kafr ad-Dik.
During May, settlers attempted to establish 15 new outposts, mainly agricultural, with 6 in Ramallah and others across Salfit, Tubas, Bethlehem, Jericho, and Nablus. These are seen as part of a systematic campaign to fragment Palestinian geography and later legalize the settlements with full infrastructure.
48 dunams of Palestinian land were confiscated through 7 military seizure orders, including buffer zones around illegal outposts like Evyatar and Havat Gilad near Qalqilya.
The report also recorded 74 demolition operations affecting 121 Palestinian structures, including 60 homes, with the highest numbers in Hebron (56), followed by Jerusalem (23). 48 new demolition orders were issued.
A more severe trend is forcing Palestinians to pay for their own home demolitions, as in Masafer Yatta, to maximize pressure.
Israeli planning bodies reviewed 26 settlement expansion plans in May, including over 3,000 units on 1,700 dunams of land. Key projects include:
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252 units in Etz Efraim on Mas-ha and Sanniriya lands
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730 units in Ariel on 405 dunams
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627 units in Kochav Yaakov on 253 dunams near Kafr Aqab
Finally, Haaretz warned that Prime Minister Netanyahu is quietly accelerating annexation efforts in the West Bank while the world remains focused on Gaza. These efforts, it noted, began even before October 2023 and have gained momentum especially after Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency.
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