Outposts, violence, impunity: The anatomy of Israeli settler land grabs

Beita, occupied West Bank – Olive harvest season is traditionally a time when Palestinian families gather in their groves, pick olives and cook over open fires. But when Musa Bani Shamsa and his 17-year-old son arrived at his land in Beita, southeast of Nablus, the groves were empty.

On the morning of October 14, a group of masked Israeli men surrounded them. They carried pistols, knives, pipes, sticks and a hammer, Shamsa told Al Jazeera. Only their eyes were visible. The beating lasted at least 20 minutes until he and his son were left lying on the ground, with Shamsa bleeding and losing consciousness.

Escalating Violence

Settler violence across the occupied West Bank is rising sharply. Since September 1, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs recorded more than 200 attacks on Palestinian farmers, more than the total number of similar assaults for the entire season last year.

Farmers have adapted their routines, harvesting earlier at 5am, blocking roads with stones, and taking turns keeping watch. When settlers approach, families flee, some returning at night to harvest by phone light. However, these precautions offer little protection as settlers often wait until farmers have finished picking before stealing their harvest and equipment.

They come and take their olives and beat them, and they also take the mats they place under the olive trees, Shamsa said. Every time we give up a little, they take a little more. They do not want to give us safety.

Outpost Expansion

At the center of Israeli settlement expansion are outposts, which often begin with little more than a flag, a tent or a livestock pen on Palestinian land. Established near Palestinian villages, they can expand to control surrounding fields and grazing areas.

Khalil Tafakji, a cartographer and expert on borders and settlements, described outposts as the offspring of the mother settlements. Positioned between existing Israeli settlements, they help link them and extend Israeli control over the largest possible area of land with the smallest number of residents.

In 2024, settlers established 62 new outposts, backed by 75 million shekels ($20m) in government funding. In total, the government has channelled at least 100 million shekels ($30m) to outposts and farms for security equipment and infrastructure, according to Peace Now, an Israeli NGO.

Systematic Land Seizure

Palestinians have nowhere to turn for protection or legal recourse. The Israeli army protects the settlers, and Palestinians are rarely able to get recourse through the legal system. When residents try to defend their homes, settlers immediately bring the army against you, al-Sharafa said.

Israel draws on a patchwork of Ottoman, British and Jordanian laws alongside its own military orders to seize Palestinian territory. Under an Ottoman-era law, land left uncultivated for several years can be claimed by the state, which Israel uses to declare areas state land where many settlements have been established.

Criminal complaints rarely lead anywhere. Of the police investigations into settler violence monitored by Yesh Din from 2005 to 2023, 94 percent were closed without an indictment. Who are we supposed to complain to? Complain to the one oppressing you? Shamsa asked.