Key facts
- Since the start of 2026, Israel has issued 49 military orders to seize 2,093 dunams (517 acres) of Palestinian land.
- These orders restrict land use, including tree removal and access prevention, without formally transferring ownership.
- The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission states these actions amount to de facto control for expanding settler infrastructure.
- The number of orders in the first half of 2026 exceeded the total for all of 2025.
Since the beginning of 2026, Israeli authorities have enacted 49 military orders to seize 2,093 dunams (517 acres) of Palestinian land, ostensibly under the guise of security measures. A position paper released by the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission on Saturday indicated that these orders do not formally transfer ownership from Palestinian landowners.
Instead, the measures impose broad restrictions on land use, including the removal or pruning of trees and vegetation, restricted access, and prevention of replanting. The commission asserts that these actions result in de facto control over the land while legal ownership remains unchanged.
According to the commission, the orders are justified on grounds of military and security needs in areas adjacent to Israeli settlements, bypass roads, the separation wall, checkpoints, and military sites. However, the commission argues that the geographic distribution of these orders suggests their actual purpose is to expand control around settler infrastructure and to secure movement for Israeli settlers.
The commission further noted that the number of such orders issued in the first half of 2026 has already surpassed the total number issued throughout the entirety of 2025.