Israeli Settlers Advance to Block Arafat’s Territorial Plans in West Bank After Benyahu Malt’s Death
The area where Benyahu Malt was killed, a critical corridor in the West Bank originally outlined by Yasser Arafat to connect parts of a future Palestinian state, has become a focal point of Israeli settler efforts to thwart this plan. On the night before the Oslo Accords were signed, Arafat demanded last-minute map changes to create territorial contiguity between northern and central West Bank Palestinian areas, including a strip of Area B lands linking the Nablus-Jenin bloc with Salfit-Ramallah. This corridor, granted to the Palestinian Authority with construction powers, allowed expansion that gradually surrounded Israeli settlements like Yitzhar and Ariel, turning bypass roads into frequent terror targets.
Benyahu Malt, who was killed last week defending hikers from an attack near the newly expanded Palestinian-built areas, had long warned of this threat. He co-founded the "Struggle for Every Dunam" forum, which monitored and documented Palestinian construction and infiltration in the region. Over recent years, Malt and fellow activists established new outposts deep into the eastern Nahal Kana area to break the Palestinian territorial continuity and improve security. Despite harsh conditions and ongoing Palestinian attempts to regain control, these efforts have begun to disrupt Arafat’s vision.
Following Malt’s death, settlers accelerated their campaign, founding multiple new outposts including one at the site of the attack. These moves aim to prevent the Palestinian Authority from consolidating control over the strategic corridor and to secure Israeli presence in the heart of the West Bank. Malt’s widow declared that thousands are now ready to continue his mission to settle and hold the land permanently. While challenges remain and Palestinian resistance is expected, the initial phase of dismantling Arafat’s territorial plan has been achieved.
This development highlights the ongoing struggle over land and security in the West Bank, rooted in the Oslo-era decisions and their aftermath. Malt’s legacy is seen as a call to action for settlers to maintain and expand Israeli footholds in contested areas to prevent the creation of a contiguous Palestinian state as originally envisioned by Arafat.
