Israeli occupation bulldozers continued, for the second consecutive day, extensive excavation, and land‑clearing operations in the Al‑Jabriyat neighborhood in the center of Jenin city, in the northern West Bank, as part of a plan to establish a new military base on land seized from its Palestinian owners.
Local sources said the bulldozers have been operating continuously since Tuesday on a seven‑dunam agricultural plot that Israeli authorities confiscated despite its classification as Area A under the Oslo Accords.
Residents reported that the land, which lies in a densely populated area overlooking the Jenin refugee camp, has been subjected to nonstop digging, leveling, and preparation for military infrastructure.
Mansour Kabaha, one of the landowners, said the Israeli military seized the property even though he and his relatives possess official deeds and land‑ownership documents.
He said the families were informed of the confiscation order under the pretext of “military use,” adding that the land belongs to ten Palestinian owners.
Kabaha warned that the construction of a military base in the middle of a residential area places his family and surrounding households at direct risk of displacement, violence, and forced evacuation.
Last week, Israeli forces forcibly evacuated two inhabited homes adjacent to the seized land and ordered the residents to leave immediately, clearing the area in preparation for the establishment of the base. The families were not allowed to return to their homes, which remain under military control.
The new base directly overlooks the Jenin refugee camp, which has faced repeated large‑scale invasions and forced evacuations since the Israeli assault on the city and camp began on January 21, 2025.
According to local authorities, approximately 21,000 residents were displaced during the months‑long offensive, while nearly half of the camp’s buildings were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable.
Residents and local officials say the construction of a permanent military installation in Al‑Jabriyat signals a further entrenchment of Israeli military control over Jenin and its refugee camp, and raises fears of additional displacement, surveillance, and future invasions.
Under the Oslo Accords, the occupied West Bank was divided into Areas A, B, and C, a framework that Israel has since used to expand military control and colonial expansion.
Area A, which includes major Palestinian cities, was designated to be under full Palestinian civil and security authority. In practice, however, Israeli forces invade these areas regularly, conduct military operations, break into homes, and carry out abductions, undermining any nominal Palestinian control.
Despite the legal designation, Israel continues to confiscate land in Area A for military purposes, bypassing Palestinian institutions entirely.
Area B is formally under Palestinian civil administration but remains under full Israeli military control.
This arrangement allows the Israeli army to operate freely while limiting Palestinian planning, development, and security capabilities.
Area C, which constitutes roughly 60% of the West Bank, is under complete Israeli civil and military control and includes all Israeli colonies and colonial outposts.
Israel uses Area C to expand settlement construction, demolish Palestinian homes, restrict building permits, and seize agricultural and grazing land.
The fragmentation created by this division has enabled Israel to maintain overarching control of the entire West Bank, while severely limiting Palestinian movement, development, and territorial continuity.
