Bethlehem, West Bank / PNN/ 

Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem (ARIJ) said in a new report that Israeli authorities intensified the use of military orders in 2025 to reshape land control across the occupied West Bank, targeting more than 11,200 dunams of Palestinian land and restricting access to over 25,000 additional dunams, particularly during the olive harvest season.

The institute documented 146 military orders issued during the year across various West Bank governorates. The report described the orders as a “legal” framework used to impose geographic and demographic changes on the ground.

According to ARIJ, the policy of issuing military orders dates back to 1967, when Israel began implementing measures to regulate land control following its occupation of the territory. The orders classify land under various designations, including “state land,” “nature reserves,” “green areas,” “firing zones,” “closed military areas,” land expropriated for “public use,” and areas designated as “Israeli archaeological sites.”

The report said such classifications have restricted Palestinian use of land and, in many cases, prevented access altogether, while facilitating the expansion of Israeli settlements.

It also noted that the suspension of land registration procedures after 1967, combined with procedural restrictions and high registration costs, has undermined Palestinian land ownership, according to the institute.