Saturday, March 29, 2025: The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission issued a press release this morning on the occasion of the 49th anniversary of Land Day, highlighting the key measures taken by the Israeli occupation state to seize Palestinian land. These actions constitute a blatant manipulation of Palestinian geography, aiming to eliminate any possibility of establishing a Palestinian state.
The head of the commission, Minister Mu’ayyad Sha’ban, stated that the Israeli occupation state has used the cover of war and the horrific aggression against our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip for over sixteen months to seize Palestinian geography through land confiscation, imposing new realities, and enforcing closures. He added that the occupation state has turned every day during this period into a new Land Day through its genocidal and bloody policies against the Palestinian people and its systematic targeting of Palestinian land, exposing its ugly and racist face, not only to Palestinians but to the entire world.
Mr. Sha’ban stated that since October 7, the Israeli occupation authorities have seized more than 52,000 dunums of citizens' lands, including 46,000 dunums in 2024 alone, under various pretexts such as declaring them nature reserves, state lands, or issuing military orders and other classifications. He added that in recent months, the occupation state has issued 13 military orders to establish buffer zones around colonies, aiming to prevent citizens from accessing thousands of dunums and paving the way for their confiscation and the dispossession of Palestinian landowners. He further noted that the land seized by the occupation under the pretext of state lands amounts to more than 24,000 dunums, marking the largest confiscation of this kind in over three decades.
Mr. Sha’ban also highlighted that the total area of Palestinian land controlled by the occupation state and subjected to various occupation measures has reached 2,382 km², which accounts for 42% of the West Bank's total area and 70% of Area C, which remains under full Israeli security control.
Mr. Sha’ban stated that since October 7, colonizer militias have established 60 new colonial outposts, 51 of which were built in 2024 alone. Notably, eight of these outposts were established in areas classified as Area B, a move that coincided with the occupation state's decision to strip the State of Palestine of its planning authority over the nature reserve east of Bethlehem Governorate, which spans 167 km². This decision, made in mid-2023, threatens hundreds of Palestinian buildings and structures in the area.
He added that since October 7, the occupation's planning authorities have reviewed a total of 268 colonies’ master plans for the West Bank and Jerusalem, including 173 plans in 2024 and 68 plans since the beginning of 2025. The sheer volume of these plans signals a deliberate intention by the Israeli occupation state to undertake one of the largest colonial expansion operations in recent history. In addition, unprecedented decisions have been made to legalize 13 outposts since early 2024 and to separate 13 neighborhoods, reclassifying them as fully recognized colonies with all associated privileges, at the expense of Palestinian land.
Mr. Sha’ban further noted that, in its ongoing efforts to suppress Palestinian construction and natural growth on their land, the Israeli occupying power continues to issue demolition orders, which are swiftly followed by actual demolitions of Palestinian structures. In 2024 alone, a total of 939 demolition-related orders were issued, including construction moratoriums and demolition notifications. 60% of these orders were concentrated in the governorates of Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Jerusalem. Additionally, 684 demolitions were carried out, with most targeting Area C, particularly in the governorates of Jerusalem, Hebron, Nablus, and Jericho
Mr. Sha’ban added that the number of permanent and temporary checkpoints—including gates, military checkpoints, and earth mounds—that divide Palestinian lands and impose severe restrictions on the movement of people and goods has now reached a total of 898 checkpoints and gates. Through these barriers, the occupation attempts to impose a parallel geographic reality, where checkpoints serve as borders for isolated cantons and enclaves, reflecting the ugly face of the apartheid system, which has become even more apparent in recent months.
He also stated that the Annexation and Expansion Wall, built by the occupation state in 2002, continues to isolate more than 295 km² of Palestinian land. If the occupation completes the planned sections of the wall, it will ultimately isolate 560 km² in total. He emphasized that the economic and social consequences of the wall remain severe, significantly impacting the lives of Palestinian citizens and their land.
Mr. Sha’ban also pointed out that the number of colonizers in West Bank colonies has reached 770,000, residing in 180 settler colonies and 256 outposts. Among these, 136 outposts are designated as agricultural grazing outposts, which have seized control of more than 480,000 dunums—most of them in the Jordan Valley and eastern slopes. This land area is three times the total built-up area of existing colonies.
Mr. Sha’ban emphasized that Land Day is a national occasion to rally around popular resistance and protect the Palestinian people's national resources wherever they are in the face of colonial occupation threats and schemes. He stated that popular resistance, as the most effective means of safeguarding Palestinian national resources, is capable of thwarting the occupation's plans to steal land, encircle Palestinian existence, and forcibly displace the population. He also called for the activation of more nighttime protection committees, especially in areas that are continuously subjected to attacks by terrorist colonizers, to repel assaults and protect innocent Palestinian civilians.