Settlements Expand Deeper Into West Bank, Isolating Palestinian Towns, Report Says

A new report by Israeli human rights organizations Yesh Din, Bimkom, and HaMoked details an escalating Israeli policy of land seizure and settlement expansion that is increasingly impacting Palestinian towns and villages throughout the West Bank, not just isolated communities in Area C. The report, titled "Maximum Area, Minimum Population," argues that these actions, combined with settler violence and movement restrictions, are systematically isolating Palestinians from their agricultural lands and confining them to shrinking areas.

The report highlights four case studies illustrating this trend. In the "Seam Zone," Palestinian farmers have been systematically denied access to their land since October 2023, with restrictions becoming a permanent fixture. One farmer, Adnan Kabha, was only allowed two days of access to his land in 2025 after being barred for the previous two harvest seasons.

In Al-Rummanah, an Area A village near Jericho, pastoral outposts have surrounded the community, leading to frequent harassment and restricted movement for residents. The report views this as an example of land seizure policies extending beyond Area C.

In the large Area B town of Sinjil, settlement outposts, fences, and settler violence have gradually isolated residents from their farmland. New outposts north of the town have created a settlement continuum, cutting off Sinjil from Palestinian areas to the north and east, while settlers have seized land to the south. The construction of a fence around Sinjil resulted in the uprooting of over 200 trees, including 135 olive trees, and the bulldozing of agricultural land.

Furthermore, the report documents the re-establishment of Israeli settlements in the northern West Bank in areas evacuated in 2005, including Homesh and Sanur. Since 2023, restrictions on returning to these areas have been lifted, with Homesh re-established and plans progressing for Sanur, Ganim, and Kadim. In December 2025, approximately 500 dunams of private Palestinian agricultural land were confiscated to build a road connecting Homesh and Sanur.

The organizations connect these incidents to a broader strategy, citing Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich's "Maximum Area, Minimum Population" vision. They assert that these actions constitute a de facto annexation, aiming to control maximum land with minimum Palestinian population, using settlement expansion, settler violence, and movement restrictions as tools to achieve this goal.