Israeli forces detain 18 settlers after clashes during West Bank outpost demolition

Israeli security forces arrested 18 settlers on Monday after clashes erupted during the demolition of an unauthorized outpost near the Palestinian town of Salfit in the occupied West Bank, the military said.

Dozens of Border Police officers and Civil Administration soldiers arrived at Givat Ora Yisrael to demolish structures at the outpost, which authorities had previously cleared. The site lies within a closed military zone where Israeli civilians have repeatedly engaged in violent and illegal activity, according to military sources.

During the operation, settlers burned tires and blocked main roads, disrupting morning traffic until security forces cleared the routes. The military reported that dozens of settlers physically and verbally assaulted security personnel.

The 18 detainees were taken into police custody on suspicion of assaulting and obstructing officers. Authorities also seized several vehicles and recovered incendiary materials, weapons used in the assaults, and pepper spray from one of them.

The incident occurred in Area B, a West Bank zone administered civilly by the Palestinian Authority where Israeli settlers are prohibited from establishing outposts.

Beyond Area C, Israeli settlement activity has increasingly expanded into Areas A and B. Monitors and rights groups estimate that more than 200 unauthorized outposts have been created in the West Bank since 2023, many coordinated with settlement municipal authorities, the military, and other state agencies.

Outposts built without official coordination are routinely demolished by the Israeli Civil Administration, which operates under the Ministry of Defense and is overseen by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a leading proponent of settlement expansion.

Some outpost residents have openly stated that their goal is to drive Palestinians from neighboring villages, extending beyond Area C.

Peace Now, an Israeli advocacy organization, reported 340 outposts and 146 officially recognized settlements in the West Bank as of September. Settlement expansion has drawn warnings from Western governments and rights organizations, including Amnesty International, which accused Israel of intensifying land confiscation and settlement activity, thereby undermining Palestinian rights under occupation.

In July alone, the Israeli military signed at least 15 land‑confiscation orders covering roughly 20 hectares in Areas A and C of the Jenin governorate. Amnesty said the apparent aim was to link two planned settlements, Emek Dotan and Noa, among 34 approved by the Israeli government this year.

These expansions continue despite United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016), which calls on Israel to “immediately and completely cease all settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.”

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