In brief
In a bold move, Israel’s current administration has allowed Jewish families to return to Kadim, an abandoned settlement near Jenin that was sealed off two decades ago. The return of 30 “pioneer” families, many under military escort, has reignited Palestinian fears of displacement and raised alarms among international observers, who point out that all settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law. The reopening comes as part of a larger surge—over 100 new settlements approved since 2022—extending Israeli presence deeper into the occupied territories. Meanwhile, local Palestinian residents recount a tense history of coexistence now being threatened by renewed settler activity, while the government’s statements celebrate a “correction” of past expulsions. Amid growing domestic and global criticism, the Israeli government maintains that these moves are driven by “Jewish nationalism” and strategic considerations ahead of the October elections.
A new generation of Israeli settlers has entered Kadim, a settlement on a hillside overlooking the Palestinian city of Jenin, after a 20‑year ban imposed by a former Israeli government was lifted. Thirty “pioneer families” arrived on Thursday from Tel Aviv, with some vehicles bearing blue and white flags and trailers laden with bedding and building materials.
Israeli law and international norms classify all settlements in the West Bank as illegal. Yet supporters argue that the move corrects past expulsions and represents a rightful return to ancestral land. Former Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the reopening “completes the correction” of previous dispossessions.
Local Palestinian residents, who once co‑existed peacefully with settlers, express deep anxiety. A farmer who grew up in a house he inherited in 1973 recalls the 2005 evacuation and fears for the future, saying, “We are living with a sense of resignation. It’s a life of fear.”
The reopening is part of a broader push: since coming to power in late 2022, the Israeli government has approved more than 100 new settlements across the West Bank, including 19 in the northern sector. Nearby new communities such as Emek Dotan, opened last Sunday, carry an average of two dozen families and have already become sites of tension, with teachers reporting nightly surveillance and accusations of attempts to invade their homes.
In addition to residential expansion, the government has erected two new military bases in the Jenin area, with concrete walls, watchtowers and barbed wire. A new outpost near the Jenin Refugee Camp marks the first time since the Oslo Accords that land held by the Palestinian Authority has been seized by Israeli forces for a military installation.
The Palestinian Authority’s Governor for Jenin, Kamal Abu al‑Rub, warned that the new built‑up around the refugee camp signals a plan to settle in the heart of a Palestinian city, mirroring the situation in Hebron or Jerusalem. He described the past two decades without settlers around Jenin as “bliss”, but said the current reality “limits our movement” and “cuts down trees.”
As the Israeli elections approach, the pace of settlement activity and demolition of Palestinian shops in the region has accelerated, drawing the scrutiny of the international community and heightening the urgency of a broader discussion on the future of the West Bank.
