The fraught politics of Israel's ruling coalition are being played out in the West Bank, where an alarming surge in settler violence and land seizures is raising concerns about an accelerated de facto annexation of the territory. Advocacy groups point to a new wave of rapidly established farm outposts as a key driver of this trend, which they attribute to pressure from far-right elements within the coalition ahead of Israeli elections.
Last week's destruction of Ilham Karajeh's family allotment in Ein Arik village is just one example of the escalating aggression. The family's irrigation pipes were severed, grapevines cut, and 70 young olive trees – a long-term investment for the Karajeheh family – were uprooted. Villagers are clear about who was responsible: settlers from the Maoz Tzur outpost, which was established on neighbouring hills last year.
This pattern of intimidation and land seizure is far from isolated in Ein Arik. Advocacy groups such as Kerem Navot suggest that settler aggression is accelerating across the West Bank, with reports of widespread violence and harassment targeting Palestinian communities. The timing is seen as particularly significant, with Israeli elections – constitutionally mandated by the end of October – set to determine the future of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right coalition.
A report released this week by Kerem Navot and Peace Now reveals the extent of settler control over West Bank land. It states that farm outposts now cover around 1 million dunams (approximately 100,000 hectares), or nearly a fifth of the territory. Alarmingly, almost a third of this seizure is reported to have occurred in 2025 alone.
The report concludes that Israel's de facto annexation has accelerated at an unprecedented pace, driven by settlement expansion and structural governance changes that are rapidly altering the West Bank landscape. This transformation is underpinned by thousands of incidents of violence, from verbal abuse to more severe acts – many of which go unreported.