Israeli settlers escalate violent takeover of Palestinian homes in areas under Palestinian Authority control

Israeli settlers are increasingly taking over Palestinian homes in areas designated under Palestinian Authority (PA) control, marking an escalation in West Bank encroachment. This shift, observed since October 2023, targets Palestinian towns and villages, particularly in Areas A and B, which are supposedly under full or partial PA civil jurisdiction.

• On July 14, settlers seized a house under construction in Beit Imrin, Nablus (Area A), following attacks that included torching cars and stealing livestock, reportedly with Israeli army protection.
• Similar incidents occurred in the last week, with settlers taking over a house in Atara, north of Ramallah, and another under construction in Jaloud, southeast of Nablus.
• Local residents, like Muhammad Salameh from Jaloud, describe settlers breaking into and occupying homes, disrupting family plans and threatening community access.
• Misbah Hajj Muhammad, deputy mayor of Jaloud, stated, "Israeli settlers have been coming closer into areas they had never reached before, without Israeli forces stopping them, until feeling emboldened to take over a house inside the village’s urban perimeter."

This expansion is seen as eroding the 1993 Oslo Accords and aligns with hardline Israeli political aims to "cancel the damned Oslo Accords," according to Jamal Jumaa of the Stop The Wall campaign, who warns of a gradual takeover of Palestinian homes similar to patterns in Hebron and Jerusalem.