A settlement scheme has been launched. It aims to establish a settler presence at around 100 strategic locations in Area A of the occupied West Bank. According to the Oslo Accords — which divide the West Bank into areas A, B and C — this area is under the full control of the Palestinian Authority. It has, until now, been considered the safest area for Palestinians.
Israeli settler groups have prepared a plan to seize 100 strategic locations in the Palestinian Authority-administered Area A of the occupied West Bank, according to a media report.
The Israel Hayom newspaper reported that the plan, prepared by the Settler Farms Association and… pic.twitter.com/SzAQ3ZJxD0
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) June 30, 2026
Illegal scheme includes major Palestinian cities
Israeli occupation settler militias and organisations are leading the scheme. They include Igud Hahavot, known as the “Union of Settlement Farms.” This umbrella organisation raises funds for, and supports farm settlement outposts.
According to the Israel Hayom newspaper, the plan covers major Palestinian cities. It has the backing of Netanyahu and the occupation government’s ministers.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned the scheme. It calls it “dangerous” and “a flagrant violation of international law and signed agreements.” The Ministry says the scheme amounts to a “systematic war crime”, aimed at imposing new facts on the ground. It undermines security and stability, and “sabotages the implementation of the two-state solution.”
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the UN-appointed Commission of Inquiry have both declared “Israel’s” occupation of Palestinian territories unlawful under international law. This includes all forms of settlement activity.
The international community and the UN, including the Security Council, have a moral and legal obligation to act. The Ministry is calling on them to take concrete measures to compel “Israel” to comply with international law. And also to stop settlement expansion, and end the illegal occupation.
Palestinian homes in Area A demolished for military base
The occupation is also displacing families living in Area A, near Jenin Refugee Camp, so their homes can be demolished to build a permanent “Israeli” military base. This is an unprecedented move by the Israeli occupation, and is the first time since signing the Oslo Accords in 1993, that it has stolen land in Area A for military use.
In May 2026, the Israeli occupation’s Central Command signed a Military Order to seize the land in the Al-Jabriyat neighborhood of Jenin, near the refugee camp. At least three homes were initially ordered to be seized or demolished for the base — the residents receiving military orders to leave.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) argues it represents a major departure from the Oslo framework because it establishes a permanent Israeli military installation inside Area A.
The Oslo Accords were a set of agreements between “Israel” and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). They established the Palestinian Authority (PA) as an interim governing body, and had the aim of gradually introducing Palestinian self-rule before a final political settlement.
Oslo Accords split the West Bank into 3 areas
Under the accords, in 1995, the occupied West Bank was divided into three administrative areas. Area A covered about 18 percent of the territory, and was placed under full Palestinian civil and security control. Area B comprised roughly 22 percent, with the PA responsible for civil affairs and the Israeli occupation retaining security authority. The remaining 60 percent was designated as Area C. This remained under full “Israeli” civil and military control.
Although the agreements were intended to serve as a temporary framework leading to a negotiated two-state solution, that outcome has not been achieved. The Oslo Accords have ultimately failed to improve Palestinian self-determination and have instead prolonged and entrenched the Israeli occupation. This is exactly what “Israel” had wanted. The settler colonial state had no intention of the Oslo Accords succeeding, or for the Palestinians to gain a viable, independent state of their own. This diplomatic framework only sustained the occupation and its military control.
The lack of accountability and inaction from the international community has given settlers added confidence. Similar to the IOF, they often carry out their crimes in broad daylight. They have recently extended their displacement campaigns of Palestinians from Area C of the West Bank, to Areas A and B.
Recent settler attacks in Area A include an overnight raid into the village of Beit Imrin, north of Nablus. Settlers spray painted Hebrew graffiti onto walls, and set cars alight.
Israeli occupation moves to illegally annex West Bank
Over the past several months, the village of Jiljiliyya has also become a flashpoint of organised violent settler attacks. The most serious recent attack there was on 13 May. “Israeli” settlers, protected by the occupation’s army, raided the village and stole 900 sheep. When 16 year old Yussef Kaabneh tried to get them back, he was shot dead. Settlers have also set fire to the village mosque. The trouble originates from nearby outposts to Jiljiliyya, including one in al-Baten area, which is in Area A.
Ayed Ghafari is a Palestinian human rights activist, who lives in Sinjil, in the occupied West Bank. He tells the Canary:
We talk about Oslo all the time, and say it’s bad for the Palestinians. But today we don’t have Area A, B or C anymore, and we need it.
What was once largely confined to Area C is now increasingly unfolding in Areas A and B. This signals a significant escalation in the Zionists’ settler colonial project. There is now an expansion of settlement outposts, permanent military infrastructure, and settler violence into territory designated under the Oslo Accords as being under Palestinian control.
As ‘Israel’ erases the distinctions between Areas A, B and C, it erases with it the prospect of a viable Palestinian state.
Featured image via the Canary
By Charlie Jaay
