Israel has sharply accelerated settlement expansion in the West Bank over the past three years, approving more than 112,000 housing units and establishing dozens of new settlements under a push led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, according to a new report by Peace Now. Outposts now exceed 360, controlling over 22 percent of the territory.
Construction of a new separation barrier in the northern Jordan Valley began roughly seven months ago. The Israeli military's "Crimson Thread" project has seen land confiscation orders issued for 116 hectares and is expected to eventually span 480 kilometres. The army has also defied a Supreme Court injunction halting demolitions in Ein al Hilweh.
In the northern West Bank, the government repealed the 2005 disengagement law, enabling settlers to return to previously evacuated sites. A military operation launched in Jenin camp in January 2025 has destroyed more than half its buildings.