Israel Expands Forced Bedouin Evictions and Land Seizures in the West Bank and Jerusalem

Watan-Encampment by encampment, Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem are asserting control over vast areas previously inhabited by Bedouin communities and livestock herders.

Roughly a month after the displacement of the “Mughayyir al-Deir” community east of Ramallah, and less than a week after the expulsion of “Arab al-Malihyat”—which uprooted about 85 Bedouin families—the wave of expulsions has now reached occupied Jerusalem. Israeli authorities and settlers forced the Bedouin residents of the Hathroura encampment in Khan al-Ahmar to dismantle their homes and leave.

According to the Al-Baydar Organization for the Defense of Palestinian Bedouin Rights, the occupation authorities compelled 15 families—totaling 90 individuals—east of Jerusalem to evacuate their dwellings following a series of violent assaults by settlers under the protection of the Israeli military.

Hasan Mleihat, the organization’s general supervisor, stated in a press release that the attacks included physical assaults, terrorizing residents, and property vandalism, creating widespread panic, especially among women and children, and forcing families to flee to ensure their safety.

He described the events as a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and part of a systematic Israeli policy aimed at displacing Bedouin communities around Jerusalem to expand settlements and impose new geographic and demographic realities.

Mleihat emphasized that Khan al-Ahmar, long under threat of full demolition, is now entering a new stage of escalation, as the occupation authorities deliberately enable settler attacks to coerce the population into leaving.

Al-Baydar urged the international community and human rights organizations to act urgently to stop these violations and provide protection for Khan al-Ahmar and other Bedouin communities under threat, warning that continued international silence invites further crimes against Palestinians.

Land Confiscation Under the Guise of “State Lands”

In a related development, the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission announced Monday that Israeli authorities seized 744 dunams of land from the village of al-Mughayyir and Khirbet Jib’it northeast of Ramallah. The seizure was justified under a new declaration labeling the area as “state land”—a legal pretext used by Israel to legitimize land grabs.

According to the Commission, this seizure targets the area occupied by the illegal outpost “Malakhi HaShalom,” established in 2015 on land belonging to al-Mughayyir. The move is aimed at formalizing the status of the outpost, which is part of a broader network of settler expansions.

With this declaration, the total area of land seized under the “state land” designation has reached 25,824 dunams since the current far-right Israeli government took office in early 2023, through 12 official proclamations.

11,280 Violations in 6 Months

The Commission’s head, Muayyad Shaaban, revealed in a press conference that Israeli authorities and settler militias carried out 11,280 violations against Palestinian land and citizens in the first half of 2025.

These included forced displacement, colonial expansion, extrajudicial killings, land destruction and bulldozing, tree uprooting, theft of property, and the creation of barriers that fragment Palestinian geography.

Regional Breakdown of Violations:

• Ramallah: 1,975

• Hebron: 1,918

• Nablus: 1,784

Settler attacks accounted for 2,153 incidents, resulting in the deaths of 4 Palestinians and involving:

• Village raids

• Home arson

• Road ambushes

• Land seizure

• Armed assaults on civilians

These attacks were concentrated in:

• Ramallah: 491

• Hebron: 409

• Nablus: 396

Shaaban also noted that from January to June 2025, Israel reviewed 165 settlement expansion plans, including:

• 124 in the West Bank (8,685 housing units)

• 41 in Jerusalem (8,865 housing units)

Settlers also established 23 new outposts, mostly grazing outposts, in:

• Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron, Qalqilya, Tubas, and Jerusalem

Additionally, the Israeli occupation seized over 800 dunams under various pretexts, including 36 military orders and one for road expansion.

Demolitions and Impact on Civilians

During the same period, Israeli authorities issued 556 demolition notices:

• 322 for inhabited homes

• 18 for uninhabited structures

• 151 for agricultural facilities

• 97 for livelihood-related structures

A total of 380 demolition operations destroyed 588 structures, directly affecting 843 Palestinians, including:

• 411 children

• 378 women

Ecocide: Systematic Tree Uprooting

Shaaban reported that Israeli forces and settlers uprooted or damaged 12,067 trees, including:

• 6,144 olive trees, broken down as follows:

  • 5,359 in Bethlehem

  • 2,282 in Ramallah & al-Bireh

  • 1,774 in Nablus

This marks another record in Israel’s campaign against Palestinian agriculture.

Call for a National Strategy

Shaaban concluded by calling for a bold and creative national strategy that harnesses all popular and institutional capacities to confront the escalating Israeli colonial assault—one that breaks from conventional methods and adapts to the challenges of the current phase.