Jerusalem: Israel's government has been advancing the de facto annexation of the occupied West Bank at an unprecedented pace since taking office in December 2022, a joint report by Peace Now and Kerem Navot reveals. The report highlights significant structural changes and expansions that have reshaped control over the region.
According to Anadolu Agency, the report details how Israel's 37th government has implemented governance changes, settlement expansion, retroactive authorization of outposts, land seizures, and the expulsion of Palestinian communities. One of the key changes noted is the transfer of broad civilian powers from the Civil Administration and the military chain of command to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and the Settlement Administration within the Defense Ministry.
These newly acquired powers encompass planning, construction, land registration, infrastructure, roads, nature reserves, archaeology, and enforcement. The report describes this shift as creating a civilian-political mechanism to further annexation objectives. Additionally, the Israeli government has fortified the Ministry of Settlement and National Missions, led by Orit Strook, directing significant funding to organizations involved in settlement expansion and land takeover.
Peace Now and Kerem Navot highlight renewed settlement activity in the northern West Bank as a clear indicator of change, with efforts underway to establish new settlements and outposts. The report states that Israel has advanced plans for 40,064 new settlement housing units over the past three years, projecting future growth for 160,000 to 200,000 occupiers. Notably, in 2025 alone, 27,941 units were advanced, surpassing previous records.
A significant development is the approval of plans for the E1 area, which threatens to further fragment the West Bank and disrupt Palestinian territorial continuity between Ramallah, East Jerusalem, and Bethlehem. The report also notes the promotion of retroactive authorization and development of illegal outposts, with 185 new outposts established over the past three years, including approximately 130 farm outposts and hilltops.
The report emphasizes the role of farm outposts in expulsion and dispossession, estimating that they now control over 1 million dunams, or about 18% of the West Bank. In 2025 alone, occupiers expanded their control by about 300,000 dunams through these outposts. Occupiers reportedly use grazing, violence, and denial of access to seize land not officially allocated to them.
Since the onset of Israel's military operations in Gaza in October 2023, there has been a sharp escalation of violence in the occupied West Bank. Official Palestinian figures report that at least 1,179 Palestinians have been killed, 12,666 injured, and around 24,000 arrested in the recent escalation.