Key facts
- Israeli settler attacks in the West Bank have nearly doubled since 2025, focusing on areas designated for a future Palestinian state.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has explicitly stated his intention to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.
- Plans to expand the E1 settlement near Jerusalem have drawn international condemnation, with the UN calling them an 'existential threat' to Palestinian statehood.
- Settlement construction has accelerated significantly since 2022, with hundreds of new buildings and outposts established.
- The expansion of settlements, particularly in E1, is seen as a strategy to create 'facts on the ground' that would make a contiguous Palestinian state unviable.
Israeli settler attacks in the West Bank have escalated significantly, particularly in areas designated for a future Palestinian state. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly declared his intention to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, signaling a shift in policy regarding settlement expansion.
The most contentious development is the push to build in the E1 area, east of Jerusalem. This expansion, if completed, would effectively divide the West Bank in two, isolating East Jerusalem from the rest of the territory and severing the contiguity of Palestinian urban areas. Opponents warn this would make the establishment of a viable Palestinian state impossible.
International bodies and key allies have voiced strong opposition. The UN secretary general described the E1 plans as an 'existential threat' to Palestinian statehood, while a joint statement from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Canada deemed the plans 'unacceptable' and capable of 'driving a wedge through the West Bank'. The Palestinian Authority has called for concrete measures to halt the project.
Despite international law prohibiting settlement in occupied territories, Israel has built approximately 160 settlements housing 700,000 Jews since 1967. The pace of construction has accelerated since Netanyahu's return to power in 2022, with satellite imagery showing hundreds of new buildings in settlements like Tzofim and expansions around Kochav Hashahar. Dozens of illegal outposts have also been retrospectively legalized.
The administration of the West Bank has seen a shift from military control to civilian authority, with figures like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich advocating for Israeli sovereignty on the ground. The government has announced significant funding for new road construction in the West Bank, aimed at strengthening its 'grip on the territory'.
This expansion is accompanied by an increase in settler violence against Palestinians, including incidents where homes have been besieged and utilities cut. Such actions have been denounced by US Ambassador Mike Huckabee as 'criminal and terrorist acts'. Senior Israeli ministers, including Smotrich, have openly stated that settlement expansion is intended to establish sovereignty and thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state. The recent tendering for E1 construction, ahead of upcoming Israeli elections, is seen by some as an attempt to solidify these changes before a potential shift in government.