Israeli Settlers Reoccupy Kadim in West Bank After 20 Years

Samer, who faces challenges due to partial blindness and a leg injury, expressed deep fear and a sense of helplessness. "Fear dominates everything. We are completely defenseless," he stated, describing the constant presence of armed individuals. He is fortifying his home with concrete blocks to protect his children.

Samer has observed an increase in settlements and settler-led attacks across the West Bank in recent years, despite international appeals. He critically assessed the global response, noting that Europe is preoccupied, America is focused on Iran, China lacks interest, Russia is engaged in Ukraine, the United Nations is seen as ineffective, and Arab nations are dealing with internal issues. He concluded with a bitter observation, "Democratic systems are over, they're finished. Civilization, progress, and modernity are lies."

Alongside new settlements emerging near Jenin, two Israeli military bases are under rapid construction. Construction vehicles are active behind high concrete walls, complete with watchtowers and barbed wire, and Israeli flags are visible.

Furthermore, an Israeli military outpost is being erected on land confiscated from Palestinians adjacent to Jenin Refugee Camp. This marks the first Israeli military base built on territory under full Palestinian Authority control since the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993. The Israeli military had previously evacuated thousands of residents from Jenin Refugee Camp before occupying it in 2025.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that the construction of the outpost in Jabriyat was mandated by "operational needs."

Kamal Abu al-Rub, the Palestinian Authority Governor for Jenin, voiced concerns that Israel's land seizures around the refugee camp suggest a strategy to establish settlements within the heart of a Palestinian city, potentially dividing it similar to Hebron or Jerusalem.

He described the preceding two decades without settlers near Jenin as a period of "bliss." He continued, "Now, we live in the hell orchestrated by them and their assaults. It limits our movement. They cut off roads, bulldoze lands, and cut down trees."

The pace of these changes is astonishing. A road previously used for cafes and businesses on the route from Kadim through the northern West Bank to Israel has been reduced to rubble. Dozens of Palestinian shops and businesses along this route were demolished by the Israeli army in a matter of weeks.

The period leading up to the Israeli elections in October has been marked by an increase in demolished Palestinian structures and the arrival of new settler caravans.