The Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC) strongly condemns the Israeli occupation Cabinet's decision on June 27, 2024, to legalize five settlement outposts: Givat Assaf, Adorayim, Sde Ephraim, Evyatar, and Heletz. This decision represents a war crime resulting dangerous escalation in the Israeli occupation’s policy of settlement expansion, undermining any prospects for the establishment of a viable Palestinian state.

In addition to the ongoing deadly situation in Gaza, the formation of an emergency government in Israel and the declaration of war have dually served to tighten the occupation’s grip over the West Bank. The legalization of these outposts solidifies Israeli control over Palestinian territory and contributes to the systematic fragmentation of Palestinian land, making the vision of a contiguous Palestinian state progressively unattainable.

Settlement expansion is not merely a bureaucratic maneuver; it is a direct assault on the rights and livelihoods of Palestinians. It involves the expropriation of Palestinian land, the demolition of homes, and the displacement of communities. These actions constitute violations of international law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the transfer of an occupying power's civilian population into the territory it occupies.

Moreover, the increase in settler expansions has been accompanied by a significant surge in settler terror attacks. In the first five months of 2024 alone, over 1,100 incidents of settler violence were reported, including coordinated group assaults and individual acts of brutality. The Israeli government's decision to distribute firearms and combat equipment to settlers and legalize settlements, which are universally recognized as illegal under international law, has only fueled this violence.

It is crucial to recognize that the Israeli occupation’s recent actions are part of a broader strategy to annex Palestinian land and entrench control over the West Bank. For instance, on July 1, 2024, the Israeli Higher Planning Council announced an agenda to promote 6,016 housing units across dozens of settlements, while on June 9, 2024, an internal conference of the Religious Zionism Party at the "Shaharit Farm" outpost discussed Minister Smotrich's directive to fund construction in 70 illegal outposts, some built on private Palestinian land. These announcements demonstrate a systematic effort to expand settlements, despite numerous UN rulings since 1979 declaring Israeli settlements on occupied territory illegal. This policy, coupled with Minister Smotrich's recent actions, utterly destroys the prospects for a two-state solution and intensifies the systematic injustices faced by Palestinians. The continuous expansion of settlements and the increase in settler violence are deliberate efforts to dismantle Palestinian territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Settlement expansion and settlers’ terror are becoming tools to achieve forcible transfer against Palestinians, strangling their life to serve settler colonial project of the occupation.

 JLAC calls upon the international community to take immediate and decisive action to hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law. We urge international bodies to condemn the expansion of illegal settlements and to support efforts to protect the rights of Palestinians.

It is imperative that the international community stands firm against these egregious violations. The time for action is now, to prevent further escalation and to ensure that the constant talk of a free and independent Palestinian state becomes a reality.