The Wall & Colonization Resistance Commission reported that Israeli occupation authorities have seized 15.342 dunams of land in Al-Bireh, in the central West Bank, under Military Order No. 115/25/T. The order establishes a so-called “security route” extending 3,835 meters around the illegal Psagot colony, built on Jabal At-Tawil east of the city.
The measure will create a new buffer zone around the colony and further restrict Palestinian access to land located between the colony’s built-up area and the planned route.
In a statement issued August 27, 2026, the Commission said the order targets land in cadastral basins 17, 20, 21, and 22 of Al-Bireh. Under the order, an officer affiliated with the Israeli Ministry of Defense would exercise effective control of the land on behalf of the Israeli military commander.
The order was signed on June 18, 2025, and will remain in effect until December 31, 2027. Affected landowners were given seven days to file objections, with the period beginning on the date designated for their field inspection.
Rather than targeting a single parcel, maps accompanying the order show that the route forms an almost complete ring around Psagot.
Preliminary mapping indicates that, in addition to the 15.342 dunams formally seized, the military order will block Palestinian access to more than 380 dunams between the colony’s existing structures and the planned route.
The Commission noted that although the isolated area is excluded from the official seizure figure, the route would place it under the colony’s security control and severely restrict landowners’ access.
The decision is part of an escalating Israeli policy since October 7, 2023. During this period, Israeli authorities have issued 46 military orders establishing buffer zones around colonies, marking a shift from exceptional “security measures” to a systematic means of expanding colonial control and appropriating Palestinian land without formally changing ownership or immediately advancing construction plans.
