Land Seizure Orders in Northern West Bank
Amnesty International has issued a stark warning regarding a recent wave of land seizure orders in the occupied West Bank, stating that these actions represent an acceleration of annexation measures that violate international law. In a report published on September 4, 2026, the rights group detailed that the Israeli military issued at least 15 separate seizure orders in July alone, affecting approximately 200 dunams of land within the Jenin governorate.
The targeted land is primarily privately owned by Palestinians residing in the villages of Qabatiya, Arraba, Marka, Misilyah, Jaba, and al-Yamun. According to Amnesty, these orders are specifically designed to construct infrastructure linking planned Israeli settlements. The organization notes that the Israeli government has approved 34 new settlements this year, signaling a significant push to expand its footprint in the territory.
This report draws on information published by sana.sy and amnesty.org.
Fragmentation and Economic Impact
Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, emphasized that the seizures are particularly concerning because they extend into Area A, territory that has been under Palestinian Authority control since the Oslo Accords. “Israel’s shameless use of land seizure orders to dispossess Palestinians and accelerate the annexation of the occupied Palestinian territory must be stopped immediately,” Morayef stated.
The infrastructure projects, including new roads, threaten to carve the Jenin governorate into isolated enclaves. This geographic fragmentation disrupts the economic, social, and political ties between Palestinian communities. Furthermore, the seizure of these lands—often containing olive groves—directly threatens the livelihoods of hundreds of families, particularly as the harvest season approaches. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has reported that there were 925 obstacles to Palestinian movement across the West Bank as of April 2026, the highest level recorded in two decades, impacting roughly 3.4 million people.
The E1 Settlement Plan and International Obligations
Beyond the immediate actions in Jenin, Amnesty International highlighted the ongoing E1 settlement project near East Jerusalem. With plans for 1,234 new housing units, the project is designed to create a continuous bloc of settlements that would effectively isolate East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank. Analysts and human rights groups have long argued that the E1 plan is a critical inflection point that could physically sever the northern and southern parts of the West Bank.
Amnesty has called on the international community to take concrete steps to halt these violations. Specifically, the organization urged states with close trade and political ties to Israel to pressure the government to rescind the seizure orders. Furthermore, the report emphasizes the responsibility of private actors, urging businesses to disengage from projects that contribute to the expansion of settlement infrastructure, including transport and security-related commercial endeavors.