Israel expands Beit El settlement with new land seizure near Ramallah

Israeli occupation authorities issued a military order confiscating about 16.6 dunams of privately owned Palestinian land in the village of Doura al‑Qareʾ, northeast of Ramallah. The order targets a strip roughly 2,076 m long that surrounds the illegal settlement of Beit El on three sides, enlarging its security perimeter and limiting Palestinian access to nearby agricultural areas.

The move is part of a broader pattern documented in the Wall & Colonization Resistance Commission’s mid‑year report, which recorded 40 military land‑seizure orders covering 611 dunams across the West Bank in 2026. These orders have created four new buffer zones, built 16 “security roads”, and established 12 military sites, facilitating further settlement expansion. Beit El, established in 1977 and hosting Israeli military and intelligence headquarters, has repeatedly expanded through such “temporary” orders that become long‑term de‑facto annexations. Villages affected include Doura al‑Qareʾ, Ein Yabrud, Jalazoun and al‑Bireh, with olive groves and grazing lands placed under military control. Human‑rights groups warn that these orders often precede permanent settlement infrastructure.