A Palestinian boy seen with his bicycle at the destroyed market after the Israeli army stormed the Tulkarm refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, 9 January 2025 2025. [Getty]
With 20 January fast approaching, the date for the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, Palestinians are noticing frantic Israeli actions to control vast lands in the occupied West Bank for annexation, as well as imposing a new fait accompli in occupied East Jerusalem.
Whether through the Israeli army or armed illegal Israeli settlers supported directly by the Israeli government, Israel is increasing land confiscations and establishing new settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank to complete an annexation plan expected during this year, according to statements by Israeli officials.
As for East Jerusalem, the pace of demolishing Palestinian homes and issuing demolition or evacuation orders is increasing under the pretext of not having a permit, but Palestinians believe that the goal is to deport them from the city and establish more illegal Israeli settlement outposts.
Outposts in ‘Area B’
Two months ago, settlers established a new settlement outpost in the town of Turmus Aya, north of Ramallah, but what is shocking is that it is located in an area classified as B, not C.
The mayor of Turmus Aya, Lafi Adeeb, told us that the settlers brought mobile homes and placed them on the lands of the town’s eastern region, with the protection of the Israeli army.
These lands were cultivated and had a paved road, but the soldiers prevented the residents from approaching them for months, in a move that shows clear coordination with the settlers to seize them.
“The area of ​​the seized land is more than 200 dunams. Suddenly it was stolen in broad daylight from its owners, and now they are prohibited from approaching it,” he said.
The town is constantly exposed to settler attacks, the most recent of which was last week, when five of its residents were injured during an attempt to confront the attack, while the area of ​​land confiscated from Turmus Aya is more than 4,000 dunams.
“We have no space left except for our homes. All the lands surrounding us have been confiscated, or we are prohibited from accessing them. Likewise, the famous, wide plain of Turmus Aya was stolen without any supervision or account,” Adeeb concluded.
The Israeli human rights organisation Peace Now noted recently that seven illegal settlement outposts were established during the current year in ‘Area B’, which, according to the Oslo Accords, should be under the civil control of the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank.
The organisation pointed out that several Palestinians were displaced from these areas due to fear of attacks by settlers, who later seized their homes, further indicating that all seven settlement outposts were established during the last two to six months.
“Five settlement outposts were established in the area known as the ‘Agreed upon Reserve’ located east and south of Bethlehem (south of the West Bank), and two outposts near Ramallah, one south of the Ofra settlement on lands belonging to the Palestinian village of Ein Yabrud, and another on lands belonging to the village of Turmus Aya.”
The organisation further explained that in 2024 alone, 52 illegal Israeli settlement outposts were established throughout the occupied West Bank, and the settlement outposts in ‘Area B’ constitute about 13.5 percent of their total number.
Under the Oslo Accords, 18 percent of the occupied West Bank was defined as ‘Area A’, subject to the civil and security control of the Palestinian Authority, and about 22 percent as ‘Area B’, subject to the civil and security control of the both Israeli and Palestinian Authority, and approximately 60 percent of the territory is designated as ‘Area C’ and is subject to only Israeli security and civil control.
‘Decisive government’
According to Palestinian sources, the year 2024 witnessed the largest home demolitions in Jerusalem, with 268 homes and facilities. Since the beginning of this year, 8 homes have been demolished so far.
According to political analyst Firas Yaghi based in Jerusalem, this indicates the nature of the racist policy of the right-wing Israeli government, which wants ethnic cleansing against the Palestinians in the city.
“They implement on the ground a drawn-up and planned policy for which full budgets are allocated,” he told The New Arab.
“This is the decisive government that wants to resolve the conflict in favour of Israel, and for them Jerusalem is settled and isn’t at all on the table for negotiations nor within any comprehensive deal, because there is American recognition in this regard and for them this is enough,” Yaghi added.
“They are waiting for Trump to come and what he will do after Netanyahu agreed to a [prisoner] exchange deal with Hamas. They know that things will be more supportive from him, and he will release the Israelis to do whatever they want in the West Bank and Jerusalem,” he concluded.
