Israeli Settler Expansion Sparks Mass Displacement in West Bank

Settlement inauguration

On 23 September 2026, Israeli ministers and lawmakers gathered on an occupied West Bank hilltop to inaugurate the new settlement Metzoke Eretz. The ceremony was led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who praised the settlers’ method of establishing farms, seizing land, and turning it into communities. The outpost, previously called Netzah Harel, was established in 2023 on private Palestinian land east of Ramallah.

Forced displacement of Bedouin communities

Alia Mleihat, a resident of the Bedouin community al-Muarrajat, reports that settlers from Netzah Harel carried out attacks, confiscated sheep, and displaced families in July 2025. Muhammad Ghawanmeh, from Ras Ein al-Auja, describes a large-scale expulsion of more than 600 Bedouins in October 2023, after repeated attacks by settlers from four surrounding outposts. Both families now live in tents on a ridge in al-Awsaj, a place that has become a de-facto internally displaced camp.

Escalation of settler attacks

Since October 7, 2023, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that at least 130 Palestinian communities have been fully or partly displaced by settler attacks and related restrictions. The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission cites almost 15,000 settler attacks and 66 Palestinian deaths by settlers since that date. OCHA notes an increase in the daily rate of attacks following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

Current conditions

Residents of al-Awsaj face limited access to water, electricity, and grazing land. Settler outposts on nearby hills conduct drone surveillance and block access to Highway 90. Allegra Pacheco, head of the West Bank Protection Consortium, describes the area as a refugee-like camp with no safe space, as settlers demolish tents and chase residents.

Unverified claims

The exact number of displaced families and the full extent of settler attacks remain unverified by independent observers. The Israeli government’s statements about the legality of settlements are not corroborated by international bodies.