Settler Herding Outposts Use Pastures and Water to Displace Palestinians

A new Palestinian study reveals that "pastoral settlement" in the West Bank has evolved from mere outpost establishment to a strategic tool for controlling land and resources, aiming to displace Palestinian Bedouin communities. Researchers found that by restricting access to pastures and water, coupled with attacks and limitations on Palestinians, a harsh economic and living environment is created, pushing residents towards gradual displacement and expanding land available for settlements. This trend has accelerated since 2016 with the rise of the Israeli right, and has intensified targeting of Bedouin communities since the Gaza war. According to B'Tselem, 65 Palestinian communities have been fully displaced and 18 partially since October 2023.

Pastoral outposts allow settlers to exert control over large areas with minimal construction, gradually expanding from small bases that restrict Palestinian access to surrounding lands, particularly in the eastern slopes vital for grazing and agriculture. This control dismantles the integrated production system reliant on natural pastures and water sources. Settler leaders have previously highlighted the effectiveness of pastoral settlement in controlling land at lower costs, positioning it as a strategic method to expand settler influence and weaken Palestinian presence in open areas.

The study indicates that the expansion of these outposts is not solely based on individual settler initiatives but is supported by Israeli institutions, settlement councils, and military protection, along with infrastructure and resource provision. Budget allocations for 2024 include approximately 302 million shekels for the Ministry of Settlements, seven billion shekels for inter-settlement roads, and 39 million shekels for pastoral outposts. Conversely, Palestinians in Area C face restrictions on building, expansion, and access to water, alongside attacks like crop destruction and livestock theft.

This disparity in support and resources creates an unequal environment favoring settler expansion while undermining Palestinian economic viability. The study explains this phenomenon through "settlement from below," where settler groups establish outposts that expand their control, backed by institutional support and protection. Changes in the administration of the West Bank, transferring settlement-related authorities to civilian Israeli bodies, have bolstered the government's role in land management and settlement expansion, solidifying these field initiatives into permanent realities.

The most profound impact of pastoral settlement is the undermining of the local economy for Bedouin communities, whose livelihoods depend on livestock, agriculture, and natural pastures. Depriving herds of grazing land forces families to buy expensive fodder and water, reducing income and increasing financial burdens. Attacks on livestock and crops exacerbate these losses. Faced with mounting debt and basic needs, families are forced to reduce or sell their herds, abandoning their traditional livelihoods. This process erodes Palestinian productive capital, reduces livestock and agricultural output, increases import dependency, and leads to job losses.

The study links the decline in productive resources and living pressures to the forced displacement of Bedouin communities. Displacement occurs when residents lose access to the land, water, and pastures essential for their survival. The lack of services and infrastructure in Bedouin areas makes reliance on pastoral and agricultural activities crucial. When these activities are undermined, families are more likely to move to villages and cities for work and basic services. The emptying of Palestinian communities from open areas and eastern slopes reduces Palestinian presence, expanding space for settlement and reshaping the West Bank's demographic and geographic map.

Ultimately, pastoral settlement is viewed not as a purely economic activity but as part of a broader settlement project to expand control, strengthen settler presence, and diminish Palestinian space. The daily presence of settlers and related activities in open areas solidifies their connection to the land. The control of land, water, and pastures, combined with attacks and economic pressures, transforms the loss of productive resources into a driver of displacement, redistributing spatial control. The battle for land in the West Bank thus involves undermining Palestinian capacity to survive and produce, leading to displacement as a cumulative outcome of dismantling livelihoods.