- Settlement expansion plans for 2026 aim to fragment Palestinian geography across the West Bank and Jerusalem.
- ‘Israeli’ media report dozens of outposts legalized, new settlements planned, and major road networks under construction.
Settlement expansion by ‘Israel’ in West Bank and Jerusalem is set to intensify in 2026, according to reports in Israeli media, as the government and settler leadership move to consolidate control over Palestinian land and deepen territorial fragmentation.
The ‘Israeli’ daily Ynet reported that 2026 settlement plans include relocating Israelis to new settlements following coalition commitments by the ‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to establish 70 settlements under agreements with the Religious Zionism party. So far, 69 unauthorized outposts have been approved and legalized, including 20 new settlements.
Outposts legalized, families relocated
Under the plans, settler families will be transferred to unauthorized outposts and housed initially in temporary structures, with permanent homes, educational institutions, and internal road networks to follow.
A settler official was quoted as saying, “If 2025 was the year of a revolution in decisions and a change in work concepts, then 2026 is the year of the field. We will see feet on the ground in practice”.
Northern West Bank resettlement revived
The report said the ‘Israeli’ government has repealed the 2005 Disengagement Law covering parts of the northern West Bank and decided to rebuild four settlements evacuated that year: Homesh, Sa-Nur, Ganim, and Kadim.
‘Israeli’ forces are currently opening access roads and relocating military camps to support the re-establishment of these settlements, a move that further disrupts Palestinian territorial continuity in the area.
Jericho targeted for isolation
Settlement plans for 2026 also include isolating Palestinian cities and towns, notably Jericho. According to the newspaper, settlements are being planned to encircle the city, including a project referred to as the “Date City”, intended to house ultra-Orthodox settlers.
Additional settlements are planned to form a belt around Jericho, effectively severing it from surrounding Palestinian communities.
Security claims after October 7
Settler leaders claim the expansion is driven by “security necessity” and a shift in Israeli security doctrine following the October 7 attack. On the ground, this policy is being implemented through settlement expansion, the establishment of new settlements, and the creation of settler religious institutes inside Palestinian geographic pockets.
Some of these institutes will function as Torah academies, with students reportedly receiving weapons training. One such institute is planned near the village of al-Auja, north of Jericho. Other outposts, including agricultural farm-style settlements, are planned near the Jordan Valley and close to the Jordanian border.
Administrative shift under Smotrich
Ynet said the expansion follows the transfer of the military-run Civil Administration to a civilian authority under far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who was appointed minister within the Defense Ministry with direct responsibility for settlements and settlers.
It said that taken together, these measures form a strategic picture aimed at choking Palestinian villages and severely undermining the possibility of a Palestinian state.
A settler official was quoted as saying that annexation “already exists on the ground, with the declaration to come later”.
Expansion model spreads south and central
The model used in the northern West Bank will be replicated in the Jordan Valley, where Jericho is expected to become fully isolated within months. A similar approach is underway south of Hebron, where a cluster of farm-style outposts has been established between the settlements of Carmel and Otniel, according to the report.
The goal, Ynet said, is to separate the areas of Yatta and al-Samu from Palestinian communities extending toward the Negev. This model is also expected to expand to areas around Ramallah and north of Jerusalem.
Rights groups cite sharp rise in construction and demolitions
‘Israeli’ rights organizations cited by the newspaper said that during Netanyahu’s current term, 69 settlements and 150 unauthorized outposts have been established in the West Bank.
‘Israeli’ authorities have approved the construction of 45,187 settlement housing units and paved approximately 200 kilometers of settler-only roads.
The report also noted a sharp rise in Palestinian home demolitions. Between 2010 and 2022, an average of 537 Palestinian structures were demolished annually. From late 2022 through 2025, during the current Netanyahu government, the annual average rose to 966 demolished buildings.
