The Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC) unequivocally condemns the Israeli Security Cabinet’s decision on March 23, 2025, to retroactively authorize 13 illegal outposts in the occupied West Bank and declare them as independent settlements. This measure—proposed by Minister Bezalel Smotrich—marks a dangerous escalation in Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise and represents a blatant act of de facto annexation.

The formal recognition of the outposts of Alon, Harasha, Kerem Re’im, Neria, Migron, Shvut Rachel, Ovnat, Brosh HaBik’a – Bitaronot, Leshem, Nofei Nehemia, Tal Menashe, Ibei HaNakhal, and Gva’ot is part of a systematic policy aimed at entrenching Israeli control over Palestinian land, fragmenting the territorial integrity of the occupied West Bank, and furthering the unlawful acquisition of territory by force. This is not an isolated step—it is part of a broader plan to forcibly transfer Palestinians, ethnically cleanse the area, and create an increasingly coercive environment intended to remove Palestinians from their homes, lands, and social fabric

All Israeli settlements and outposts in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are illegal under international law. The retroactive “legalization” of these outposts within Israel’s domestic system is irrelevant to their status under international law and does not alter the fact that this policy constitutes a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, namely the transfer, directly or indirectly, of the occupying power’s civilian population into occupied territory.

This decision empowers settler groups that routinely perpetrate terror against Palestinians with impunity, while granting them permanent footholds in strategic areas across the West Bank. It is a calculated move to eliminate the possibility of a contiguous Palestinian presence, undermine the Palestinian state, and prevent any future realization of Palestinian self-determination.

JLAC calls on the international community to move beyond statements of concern and take concrete action to stop Israel’s annexationist policies and its systematic campaign to forcibly displace Palestinians. This includes imposing sanctions, banning settlement products, and supporting accountability measures at the International Criminal Court. It is past time for Israel to be held to account for its ongoing violations of international law and the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people.

27 March 2025