RAMALLAH, West Bank / PNN/ Monjed jadou -
Israeli authorities have issued a new set of military orders that could facilitate the takeover of more than 20,000 dunums (about 20 square kilometers) of Palestinian land across the occupied West Bank, according to a report released by the Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem (ARIJ).
The orders, issued on March 5, 2026, are aimed at expanding settlement activity through a series of measures that strengthen Israeli control over land and support the growth of settlements and outposts, ARIJ said.
The institute said the measures are based on a long-standing system of military orders and regulations that Israel has applied in the occupied Palestinian territories since 1967. It described the latest orders as part of an ongoing policy designed to consolidate Israeli settlement expansion and create new demographic and geographic realities on the ground.
According to the report, the military orders target 17 settlement-related sites and projects across eight Palestinian governorates, covering a total area of 20,002 dunums. Jerusalem governorate accounted for the largest share of the targeted land, with more than 5,200 dunums affected, followed by Jenin with more than 4,200 dunums and Qalqilya with nearly 3,950 dunums.
Among the areas included in the orders are the settlements of Givat Ze’ev and Alon in the Jerusalem area, the Nabi Samuel archaeological site northwest of Jerusalem, and the archaeological site of Sebastia in the Nablus governorate, where 2,068 dunums were designated under one of the orders.
The measures also affect the settlements of Efrat and Yatziv in the Bethlehem area. ARIJ noted that Israeli authorities formally approved a separate administrative jurisdiction for Yatziv, a newly established settlement built on the former Shdema military site, known locally as Ush Ghrab. Israeli settlers took control of the site in November 2025 and later established a settlement outpost there.
Other settlements included in the orders are Beit El, Beit Horon and the Givat Assaf outpost in the Ramallah area, Kfar Tapuach in Salfit governorate, Petronot Shila in Tubas governorate, Elkana in Qalqilya governorate, and the settlements of Ganim and Kadim in Jenin governorate.
ARIJ said the inclusion of Ganim and Kadim reflects broader Israeli efforts to reestablish settlement activity in areas evacuated under Israel’s 2005 disengagement plan. The Israeli government approved the return of settlers to several of those locations in May 2024.
The report said the new measures rely primarily on three military orders: Military Order No. 321 of 1969 concerning land expropriation for public purposes, Military Order No. 783 of 1979 governing regional settlement councils, and Military Order No. 892 of 1981 concerning local settlement councils.
According to ARIJ, Military Order No. 321 allows Israeli authorities to expropriate land under the pretext of serving public needs. The institute argued that amendments introduced by Israel removed many of the procedural safeguards that existed under the original Jordanian law on expropriation, including judicial oversight and compensation mechanisms.
The report also said that Military Orders 783 and 892 provide the legal framework for expanding settlement jurisdictions and incorporating surrounding Palestinian lands into settlement planning and administrative boundaries.
ARIJ warned that the latest orders are likely to further restrict Palestinian access to land, strengthen settlement infrastructure and undermine prospects for territorial continuity in a future Palestinian state.
The institute said the expansion of settlement boundaries and areas of influence directly affects both privately owned and public Palestinian land, limiting opportunities for Palestinian urban development and economic growth while reinforcing Israeli settlement presence across the occupied West Bank.
