Mohammed Azzam was surprised to find an advertisement posted on Facebook by an Israeli settler offering to sell Azzam's land in the town of Qaryut, south of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank . Settlers had recently seized the land after they fenced it off, without any official confiscation order.
The tactic of fencing has become common among Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank to arbitrarily extend their control over Palestinian land without the need for official decisions and at minimal cost. They simply erect a metal fence around a small plot of land and prevent Palestinians from entering it.
Gradually, the settlers expand the targeted plot and relocate the fence to seize more land. They continue to prevent Palestinians from accessing it and then convert it into grazing land for their livestock, which is often stolen from Palestinians.
Usually, these lands are transformed into outposts for pastoral or agricultural settlements.
According to the Land Research Centre in the West Bank , more than 24,000 dunams have been seized in this manner since last year alone, and their owners are still unable to access them without official Israeli confiscation orders.
Most of this land is in the Jordan Valley and was used by Palestinians for grazing livestock or as arable land, but it is now completely closed off. Gradual seizure Azzam had worked in his land for many years, but after October 2023, Israeli settlers began attacking residents of the village of Qaryut if they tried to access it.
With the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran , Israeli settler attempts to seize large tracts of land have increased, spearheaded by the so-called "Youth of the Hills" and shepherds.
Two weeks ago, they erected a metal fence around several plots of land owned by Azzam, planted with olive trees.
"The total area of land they fenced off is 21 dunams, all planted with olive trees. We used to harvest the olives and benefit from them, but now it's as if it's not our land and we can't even approach it," he told The New Arab .
Although no confiscation orders have been issued against the fenced-off lands, the Israeli army accompanies the settlers during the fencing process to protect them. Meanwhile, the so-called settlement security forces monitor from a distance, ready to attack any Palestinian who approaches to protest the fencing.
"They gradually dismantle the fence and relocate it to encompass a larger area of land. Where they seize, they uproot and burn the olive trees, turning them into their own private grazing land. We fear that we will never get it back," he added.
Every year, Azzam used to produce more than 560 litres of olive oil from his trees, but after his land was confiscated, he could produce no more than 60 litres.
"I was shocked a few days ago to discover that a settler, considered one of the most prominent land grabbers and encroachers, had posted photos of my land, which he had fenced off, and was inviting other settlers to buy it on Facebook as if he owned it. Despite submitting several complaints to the Palestinian Authority and human rights organisations to reclaim it, it has been to no avail," he said in despair. 'No objections allowed' The fencing of land in the occupied West Bank is no longer limited to Area C, but extends to Area B, which would prevent the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state in the future.
Abd Wadi, from the village of Qusra, south of Nablus, which is considered one of the areas most frequently targeted by settler attacks, told TNA that they had fenced off a plot of his land containing 175 olive trees and another plot containing 47 trees, all of which were at least 50 years old.
Weeks ago, settlers used a bulldozer to uproot all the olive trees and then fenced off the land, preventing anyone from accessing or entering it. They also placed large rocks to prevent the owners from approaching.
In addition, the settlers fenced off another plot of land belonging to Abd and his brothers, totalling 45 dunams and containing approximately 465 olive trees. One of the settlers established a grazing outpost there.
"During the olive harvest, we were only able to produce 45 litres of oil out of the 600 litres we used to produce annually. Every rock and every tree on my land has a story. I planted them with my father when I was a child, and our memories are etched there. We used to sit, make tea and coffee, and eat. Those were truly beautiful times for my brothers and me, but it seems they will never return," he lamented.
Before his land was fenced off, a farmer told Wadi that strangers were on his property picking olives. He went to confront them and demand they leave, but they brandished weapons at him. It turned out they were settlers. Shortly afterwards, they fenced off his land and prevented him from entering.
"If we approach the fence, we're surprised to find soldiers immediately coming to remove us. One of my neighbours brought a tractor and started ploughing around his land, but the army came and confiscated it. The next day, we found the tractor with settlers, working in our land," he explained.
"The Israeli army considers everything an act of aggression," Wadi continued. "If any Palestinian speaks to the settlers, it's considered aggression. If they steal his sheep and he objects, even verbally, it's considered aggression."
"The settler is sacred to them. We're not even allowed to speak to him or object to anything he does." Official Support Although this policy has become increasingly apparent in the last three years, the human rights organisation B'Tselem revealed in its 2008 report, "Access Denied", that Israel deliberately obstructs Palestinian farmers from reaching their lands.
The report explained that land closures are achieved through physical barriers and other means. Field visits revealed dozens of closed gates around settlements, with only two open. This has led many Palestinians to abandon attempts to reach their lands due to the difficulties. They were required to obtain prior coordination or face being denied entry.
Salah Khawaja, director of the Central District of the Commission Against the Wall and Settlements, told TNA that every settler in the West Bank has begun using discriminatory laws that make Palestinian lands vulnerable to confiscation.
This began with the establishment of grazing outposts in areas near settlements, then expanded to areas closer to Bedouin communities, and finally reached some villages. Attacks escalated, including uprooting trees, blocking roads, and attempting to impose a new reality on the ground.
"The settlers consider wherever their livestock graze to be areas under their control, and this has increased the frequency of attacks in their various forms. In the last three years, this has led to settlers seizing control of springs, waterfalls, vast tracts of land, and pastures," he added.
The process of fencing off land in most areas of the occupied West Bank came as part of the demarcation of Area C, even though some grazing outposts are located in Area B. However, in an attempt to impose sovereignty, they began by fencing off the land and then installing gates to prevent Palestinians from accessing it, he said.
"In the Al-Mu'arrajat area near Jericho, a fence has been erected along a stretch of at least three kilometres to allow their cattle to graze on tens of thousands of dunams of open land. This is part of an investment by major Israeli companies, and it is considered part of a policy that the Israeli government has begun to pursue through continuous security, military, financial, logistical, and legal support," Khawaja explained.
Even more dangerous, according to him, is the Land Settlement Law, through which lands in the West Bank will be registered in the names of settlers, even though this violates international law and all international agreements.
A budget has already been allocated to register 15 per cent of Area C in the names of settler companies or individuals by 2030 as part of an ongoing effort to impose facts on the ground.