Key facts
- The EU urged Israel to halt expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank.
- Israeli ministers announced plans for three new settlements in Gaza.
- Israel's finance minister announced 1.3 billion shekels in funding for new settlements in the West Bank.
- Israeli authorities ordered the confiscation of 16.577 dunums (4.09 acres) of land in the West Bank village of Dura al-Qar'.
- The UN human rights office stated settler violence is state violence.
The European Union has reiterated its call for Israel to halt the expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank, warning that such actions threaten the viability of a two-state solution. The EU's diplomatic service spokesperson urged Israel to cease settlement expansion, legalization of outposts, land appropriation, demolitions, and evictions.
This comes as Israeli defense and finance ministers announced plans to establish three new settlements in Gaza and allocated 1.3 billion shekels for dozens of new settlements in the occupied West Bank. Israeli military commander for the West Bank, Maj Gen Avi Bluth, expressed appreciation for extremist outposts, calling them security partners. The UN human rights office for Palestine stated in a recent report that settler violence is state violence, detailing how Israel uses settlers for annexation efforts.
In a new development, Israeli authorities ordered the confiscation of 16.577 dunums (4.09 acres) of land in the village of Dura al-Qar', northeast of Ramallah, for military purposes. This order is effective until the end of 2028 and targets a 2,076-meter strip of land surrounding the settlement of Beit El. According to the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, this seizure is part of 40 military land seizure orders documented in its mid-year 2026 report, which targeted a total of 611 dunums and led to the establishment of buffer zones, security roads, and military sites.