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Israeli authorities have approved the jurisdictional boundaries of the Givat Harel illegal settlement outpost in the occupied West Bank, a move aimed at turning it into an independent illegal settlement that can be formally planned and expanded, a Palestinian body said.
The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said the decision was part of a project to consolidate illegal settlement outposts around the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah.
According to the commission, the process began in February 2023 when the Israeli Security Cabinet decided to regulate the legal status of the Givat Harel and Givat Haroeh outposts.
The process advanced in June 2026 when 465.4 dunams (115.00 acres) of land belonging to the towns of Sinjil and Al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya were declared "state land," the commission said.
The commission said that defining Givat Harel's jurisdiction marked an advanced stage in the legalization process, transforming the outpost into an administrative unit with clearly defined boundaries.
The move allows authorities to prepare zoning and construction plans, allocate budgets and develop roads, water and electricity networks and public facilities, according to the statement.
The commission said Israel was pursuing the process gradually, beginning with regulating an outpost's status, declaring land as "state land," defining jurisdictional boundaries, preparing plans and allocating budgets before ultimately implementing expansion projects.
The decision was published simultaneously with an announcement by far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich regarding massive settlement expansions. He stated that 104 illegal settlements had been approved, 160 illegal settlement farms encouraged, and funding allocated for new infrastructure and roads.
The commission said the developments showed that administrative procedures were being used to serve what it described as an "annexation project."
In a separate statement, the commission said Israeli authorities issued a military order seizing part of the land belonging to the village of Jinsafut, in the Qalqilya area of the occupied West Bank, for what was described as "military purposes."
The order is intended to establish a military communications tower next to a bypass road near the village of Al-Funduq and secure the access road leading to the facility, according to the commission.
Israeli authorities issued 33 military orders in July alone targeting 830.917 dunams of Palestinian-owned land, including 31 confiscation orders, the statement said.
The commission said Israeli settlers frequently launch attacks from illegal settlement outposts against Palestinian towns in efforts to force Palestinians from their land and take control of those areas for illegal settlement expansion.
More than 750,000 Israeli illegal settlers live in 156 illegal settlements and 360 illegal settlement outposts across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to the information provided.
Attacks and pressure by illegal settlers against Palestinians and their property continue under the protection of the Israeli military.
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