Israel begins demolition of 26 Palestinian buildings near Jenin to pave way for illegal settlement

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Wednesday boasted that Israel had begun demolishing 26 Palestinian buildings near Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank, Anadolu reports.

Smotrich, leader of the far-right Religious Zionism party, said on US social media company X that the demolitions began Wednesday morning, paving the way for renewed illegal settlement activity in the area.

He claimed the Palestinian buildings were “illegal.”

The far-right minister also published photos that he said showed the demolition operation, which comes amid accelerating Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank.

In late 2025, the Israeli government approved the reestablishment of Ganim and Kadim, near Jenin, as part of a decision to establish or reorganize 19 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Israel evacuated the Ganim and Kadim illegal settlements in 2005, along with Homesh and Sa-Nur, under the “disengagement plan,” which also included the evacuation of all Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip.

READ: Israeli army evicts Palestinian family, turns West Bank home into military post

At the time, the plan provided for withdrawal from the four illegal settlements and permanent military installations in the area, allowing Palestinian geographical contiguity in the northern West Bank.

But in recent years, Israel has begun rolling back restrictions linked to the plan.

In March 2023, the Knesset amended the “disengagement plan” law, removing restrictions that had barred Israelis from entering and residing in areas of the northern West Bank evacuated in 2005.

According to the latest UN secretary-general’s report on settlements, Israeli authorities advanced or approved plans to build 4,750 settlement units in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, between March 14 and June 12.

On March 25, the Israeli government also approved the establishment or legalization of 34 illegal settlements in Area C of the West Bank, the largest number approved in a single Israeli government decision, according to the same UN report.

UN Security Council Resolution 2334 affirms that Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including occupied East Jerusalem, have “no legal validity” and constitute a flagrant violation of international law.

READ: Palestinian Land Authority head: 12,000 settlement units approved and 7,000 Palestinians displaced in West Bank this year