illegal outposts

French President Hollande speaks in the Knesset, 2013. (Jonathan Sindel/Flash90)

French lawmakers call on Hollande to recognize Palestinian state

France’s far right may gain ground in the upcoming elections. French parliamentarians are hoping President Hollande acts before he must leave office in May. The French Newspaper Le Journal Du Dimanche published a letter Monday signed by over 150 French parliamentarians, in which they called on President Francois Hollande to recognize a Palestinian state. The letter comes…

By Edo Konrad February 27, 2017

Israeli soldiers stand in front of the West Bank settlement of Beitar Illit, which was partially built on expropriated land belonging to the Palestinian village of Wadi Fukin, West Bank, September 26, 2014. (Ahmad al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

Israel’s land theft law is just the tip of the settlement iceberg

Anyone who condemns Israel’s new law authorizing the theft of private Palestinian land, while forgetting the mass theft engendered by the settlement enterprise as a whole, is doing an injustice to the fight for equality in this land. The Knesset on Monday night passed the “formalization law” (also translated as the “normalization law”), which retroactively…

By Haggai Matar February 7, 2017

A man from the Jahalin tribe herds his sheep in his village near the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumin, West Bank, May 19, 2005. (Yaniv Nadav/Flash90)

Israel issuing Palestinian building permits to further West Bank land grab

An increase in building permits for Palestinian structures in Area C of the West Bank is not what it seems. It is, in fact, part of the Israeli government’s process of concentrating Palestinians in order to make room for settlements to expand. By Alon Cohen-Lifshitz It’s the responsibility of anyone who wants to build a house to…

By +972 Magazine January 27, 2017

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Jewish residents of the illegal outpost Amona, November 17, 2016. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

What’s an illegal settlement?

The Israeli government is working tirelessly to retroactively legalize over 100 illegal West Bank outposts. They’ll probably get away with it. Is that such a bad thing? The biggest story in Israel this past week — bigger than Trump or Aleppo — was the impending eviction of the illegal settlement outpost of Amona, and parallel efforts…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man November 20, 2016

Palestinian activists raise a flag at the ‘Yasser Arafat outpost,’ a nonviolent action protesting two new Israeli settlement outposts in the area, Jordan Valley, West Bank, November 17, 2016. (Flash90)

The different ways Israel treats Jewish, Palestinian outposts in the West Bank

Palestinian activists protest Israeli attempts to ‘legalize’ settlement outposts by erecting one of their own. Unlike two nearby Jewish outposts, however, the Israeli army demolishes the Palestinian camp within hours. Dozens of Palestinian activists erected an “outpost” in the Jordan Valley Thursday, in protest of recent Israeli army demolitions of Palestinian homes in the area,…

By Haggai Matar November 19, 2016

An Israeli settler throws stones at armed forces in the illegal outpost of Amona, Jan. 1, 2006 (file photo). Clashes broke out shortly after the High Court gave the green light to dismantle half a dozen homes in the area. (Yossi Zamir/Flash90)

The Right’s new spin: Israel demolishes only Jewish homes

In their attempt to prove allegiance to the settlers, right-wing ministers are finding creative new ways of misleading the public. The controversy over the slated evacuation of a West Bank outpost reached a fever pitch this past week, with government ministers trying to outdo each other to prove their allegiance to the 50 families living in…

By Noam Sheizaf November 15, 2016

Israeli policemen clash with Jewish settlers in the illegal outpost of Amona, January 1, 2006. Clashes broke out shortly after the Israeli High Court gave the green light to dismantle half a dozen homes in the outpost. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)

Resource: Fact-checking Israel’s most stubborn illegal outpost

The state will ask the High Court to, once again, delay the demolition of Amona. Here are a few myths surrounding one of the most stubborn outposts in the West Bank. By Yesh Din, written by Yossi Gurvitz In recent months the residents of Amona and right-wing politicians have been waging a campaign designed to…

By +972 Resources October 13, 2016

A photo from the Airbnb listing in Ma’ale Rehavam.

Airbnb lets you vacation in illegal West Bank settlements

Fancy a vacation with breathtaking views of the Holy Land? Airbnb will let you rent out luxurious cottages atop barren hilltops, making no mention of the fact that they are in settlements on occupied land. By John Brown* Airbnb, it has come to our attention, enables anyone to rent rooms and vacation homes in Israeli settlements…

By +972 Magazine January 7, 2016

Israeli settlers and Palestinian demonstrators throw stones at each other, after settlers marched onto the lands of the West Bank villages of Deir Jarir and Silwad where villages were protesting the construction on their land by members of the nearby Jewish settlement of Ofra, May 3, 2013. (photo: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

How the government rewards its most violent settlers

One would expect the Israeli government to put an end to attacks by the settlers of Adei Ad on Palestinian civilians. In fact, it rewards them by planning to legalize their West Bank outpost. By Yesh Din, written by Yossi Gurvitz During the second Sukkot holiday and the weekend preceding it, Yesh Din investigators documented…

By +972 Magazine November 6, 2015

Palestinian laborers wait outside the Sha’ar Ephraim checkpoint separating the West Bank and Israel for their Israeli employers to pick them up, December 22, 2014. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

How every Israeli profits from the occupation

Israel’s government, economy and citizens regularly exploit everything they can from the West Bank, leaving the Palestinians the bare minimum for survival. If Israelis want change, they’ll have to come to terms with reality. Contrary to popular belief, the boycott is not the greatest threat facing Israel, at least not at the moment. However, now…

By Noam Sheizaf June 9, 2015

Illustrative photo of Palestinian children in a school consisting of a number of shipping containers, the Jordan Valley. (Photo by Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

Distorting the facts of Occupation: Regavim’s attacks on the EU

An Israeli settler NGO has accused the EU of illegal building in the West Bank. But the facts — and its understanding of international law — just don’t add up. By Michel Waelbroeck and Willem Aldershoff Reports started circulating before Israel’s elections that Prime Minister Netanyahu had ordered the destruction of mobile structures distributed by…

By +972 Magazine March 25, 2015

Palestinian Authority soldiers carry the coffin of PA minister Ziad Abu Ein during his funeral procession, Ramallah, December 11, 2014. (photo: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

PHOTOS: Thousands take part in Palestinian minister’s funeral in Ramallah

Text by Keren Manor, photos by Yotam Ronen, Oren Ziv / Activestills.org Thousands gathered Thursday morning at the Palestinian Authority headquarters in Ramallah to participate in the funeral of PA minister Ziad Abu Ein. Abu Ein, who served as the Palestinian Authority’s settlement minister died the previous day during clashes with Israeli soldiers near the illegal West…

By Activestills December 11, 2014

A Jewish settler from the illegal settlement of Mitzpe Yair chases the flock and threatens the shepherds of Gwawis. He is holding an M16 rifle, issued to him by the Israeli army, as part of his paid job as a security coordinator. The law states that he is not allowed to take any action outside the settlements' borders, September 18, 2012. (photo: Shiraz Grinbaum/Activestills.org)

How the army helps settlers establish illegal outposts

Through the use of civilian security coordinators in settlements and outposts, the IDF has, essentially, privatized law enforcement in the West Bank. A further aspect of this symbiotic relationship is the army’s use of the coordinators to promote de facto recognition of unauthorized settler outposts. By Yossi Gurvitz, for Yesh Din Our first post about our report…

By +972 Magazine September 24, 2014