: Monday, July 7, 2025The Colonization & Wall Resistance Commission (CWRC), issued its semi-annual report of 2025, “Violations of the Israeli Occupation State & Colonizers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in the first half of 2025”. The head of the Commission, minister Mu’ayyad Shaa’ban, declared that the Israeli occupation authorities and colonists carried out 11280 attacks against Palestinian citizens and their properties. Mr. Shaa’ban emphasized that the alarming escalation in the nature, number and intensity of these attacks directly coincides with the brutal aggression perpetrated by the occupying state against our people in the Gaza Strip and across all areas of Palestinian presence. He added that these attacks have ranged from imposing facts on the ground, such as land confiscation, colonial expansion, and forced displacement, to field executions, vandalism, bulldozing lands, uprooting trees, confiscation of property, and the establishment of closures and checkpoints that disrupt the connections within Palestinian geography. These attacks were particularly concentrated in the Ramallah Governorate, which experienced 1,975 attacks, followed by the Hebron Governorate which witnessed 1,918 attacks, meanwhile, 1,784 attacks. Where recorded in Nablus Governorate.
Mr. Shaa’ban stated that the occupying state has intensified its efforts over the past six months to attack Palestinian lands. This attack is not limited to the establishment of colonial outposts or the expansion of colonies, nor is it confined to issuing military orders or systematically attacking citizens in villages, towns, and Bedouin communities. It also includes a series of unprecedented legislative measures and government decisions aimed at undermining the status of Palestinian lands. We, as a government, people, institutions, councils, and frameworks, are now confronting the most critical and dangerous phase that the Palestinian cause has faced, characterized by attempts at theft, annexation, and the imposition of sovereignty.
Mr. Shaa’ban also pointed out that during the reporting period, the colonizers perpetrated 2,153 attacks, resulting in the martyrdom of four citizens. These attacks included a range of violent actions, such as targeting Palestinian villages, assaulting civilians, setting fire to homes with residents inside, shooting at individuals, establishing colonial outposts, seizing land from citizens, attacking streets and vehicles, and carrying out organized assaults. Notable incidents occurred in the villages of Kafr Malik, Al-Mughayyir, Beita, Sinjil, and others. The majority of these attacks were concentrated in Ramallah Governorate, which experienced 491 attacks, followed by Hebron Governorate where 409 attacks where occurred meanwhile, Nablus Governorate was exposed to 396 attacks.
Mr. Shaa’ban reported that from the beginning of 2025 until the end of June, the Israeli occupation authorities proposed and approved 165 master plans for expanding existing colonies or establishing new ones. Out of these, 124 master plans were specifically for colonies in the West Bank, and 41 plans targeted the colonies in East Jerusalem. In total, these plans involve more than 8,685 residential units in the colonies of the West Bank and 8,865 in the colonies of Jerusalem. Notably worth, during the first half of 2025, colonizers established 23 new colonial outposts on citizens’ lands, primarily agricultural outposts, across the governorates of Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron, Qalqilia, Tubas, and Jerusalem. This alarming trend of colonial expansion reflects a deliberate strategy to alter the facts on the ground, and it is carried out with the full support of the Israeli occupation army. Such actions not only undermine the rights of local communities but also pose a significant challenge to peace and stability in the region.
Mr. Shaa’ban also emphasized that during the reporting period, the Israeli occupation authorities unjustly confiscated more than 800 dunams of citizens' land under a variety of pretexts. They issued 36 seizure orders for military purposes and one expropriation order, falsely claiming it was necessary for paving and widening roads.
Mr. Shaa’ban revealed that in the first half of 2025, the Israeli occupation authorities issued 556 demolition notices targeting Palestinian facilities, , justifying their actions by claiming a lack of permits. The majority of these notifications were concentrated in the governorates of Hebron which received (145) notifications, followed by Ramallah governorate with (131) notifications. Meanwhile, Qalqilia had (49) notifications and Jericho received (46) notifications. The Israeli occupation authorities carried out 380 demolition operations, resulting in the destruction of 588 facilities. As a consequence of these demolitions, 843 people were affected, including 411 children and 378 women.
Mr. Shaa’ban also highlighted that the Israeli occupying state along with their colonial militias have caused the uprooting and damage of 12,067 trees, which includes 6,144 olive trees. Specifically, Bethlehem Governorate recorded the largest number of the uprooted and damaged trees, which was 5359 trees. Followed by Ramallah governorate, where 2,282 trees were uprooted. Meanwhile, 1774 trees were uprooted and damaged in the governorate of Nablus. This alarming figure is not just a loss of natural resources; it reflects a deliberate strategy to erase Palestinian presence and render their land unproductive.
Mr. Shaa’ban renewed his call for all Palestinians, including various factions, popular unions, and the general public, to unite under a national strategy aimed at defending the Palestinian land and national interests. This strategy should focus solely on Palestine, prioritizing the needs of the nation while viewing the actions of the occupation through the lens of national responsibility, free from self-interest and malicious intent. He emphasized also that our national strategy must first galvanize the national and popular capabilities. Furthermore, it must be characterized by ethical considerations and innovative thinking. We must adopt new methodologies that are both relevant to our times and capable of addressing the significant challenges we face. At this present time, we must reassert the urgent demand for immediate international protection. This protection is vital for defending the rights of the Palestinian people and preserving their national capabilities against the relentless aggression of the occupation.