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Israeli Settlers Seize Jordan Valley Land, Expand Settlement Activity
(MENAFN) Twenty Israeli settler families have taken control of land in the Jordan Valley in the eastern occupied West Bank, as settlement activity continues to expand across Palestinian territory.
The families moved into the newly established agricultural settlement of Bitron on Monday, according to reports. The site was inaugurated ahead of the Jewish New Year on Sept. 12 and is part of a broader effort to establish additional Israeli settlement outposts in strategic areas of the occupied West Bank.
Bitron is among 13 settlement sites that Israel’s Security Cabinet approved for separation from neighboring settlements last year, a step intended to grant them independent settlement status. The establishment of the site has therefore been presented as part of Israel’s broader settlement expansion policy in the occupied territory.
According to reports, Bitron is the first agricultural settlement established by Israel in approximately two decades. Its creation comes amid increasing settlement activity in the Jordan Valley, an area that has remained a major focus of Israeli settlement expansion.
On March 23, 2025, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that the Security Cabinet had approved his proposal to separate 13 settlements in the West Bank, including Bitron, from nearby settlement communities.
“Another step toward normalizing settlement,” Smotrich said at the time, adding that the 13 new settlements would be recognized as independent settlements.
Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now said the decision raised the number of settlements formally recognized by Israel from 127 to 140. The organization said the move also demonstrated that the sites were being treated as independent settlements rather than simply as neighborhoods connected to existing communities.
The establishment of Bitron has been linked to an Israeli project launched following the events of Oct. 7, 2023, aimed at creating and reinforcing settlements along what Israel considers its eastern border.
The expansion of agricultural and pastoral outposts has also increased the amount of land under settler control in the Jordan Valley and other parts of the eastern West Bank. Figures released by the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission in March 2025 showed that 136 such outposts, most of them concentrated in the Jordan Valley and along the eastern slopes of the West Bank, controlled more than 48,000 hectares, or approximately 118,600 acres, of land.
According to the commission, the territory controlled by these agricultural and pastoral outposts is roughly three times larger than the combined built-up area of existing Israeli settlements.
The continued expansion has drawn international concern, particularly over its potential impact on Palestinian territorial continuity and the prospects for a negotiated two-state solution. The United Nations considers Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories illegal under international law and has repeatedly warned that their expansion threatens efforts to establish a viable Palestinian state.
The families moved into the newly established agricultural settlement of Bitron on Monday, according to reports. The site was inaugurated ahead of the Jewish New Year on Sept. 12 and is part of a broader effort to establish additional Israeli settlement outposts in strategic areas of the occupied West Bank.
Bitron is among 13 settlement sites that Israel’s Security Cabinet approved for separation from neighboring settlements last year, a step intended to grant them independent settlement status. The establishment of the site has therefore been presented as part of Israel’s broader settlement expansion policy in the occupied territory.
According to reports, Bitron is the first agricultural settlement established by Israel in approximately two decades. Its creation comes amid increasing settlement activity in the Jordan Valley, an area that has remained a major focus of Israeli settlement expansion.
On March 23, 2025, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that the Security Cabinet had approved his proposal to separate 13 settlements in the West Bank, including Bitron, from nearby settlement communities.
“Another step toward normalizing settlement,” Smotrich said at the time, adding that the 13 new settlements would be recognized as independent settlements.
Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now said the decision raised the number of settlements formally recognized by Israel from 127 to 140. The organization said the move also demonstrated that the sites were being treated as independent settlements rather than simply as neighborhoods connected to existing communities.
The establishment of Bitron has been linked to an Israeli project launched following the events of Oct. 7, 2023, aimed at creating and reinforcing settlements along what Israel considers its eastern border.
The expansion of agricultural and pastoral outposts has also increased the amount of land under settler control in the Jordan Valley and other parts of the eastern West Bank. Figures released by the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission in March 2025 showed that 136 such outposts, most of them concentrated in the Jordan Valley and along the eastern slopes of the West Bank, controlled more than 48,000 hectares, or approximately 118,600 acres, of land.
According to the commission, the territory controlled by these agricultural and pastoral outposts is roughly three times larger than the combined built-up area of existing Israeli settlements.
The continued expansion has drawn international concern, particularly over its potential impact on Palestinian territorial continuity and the prospects for a negotiated two-state solution. The United Nations considers Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories illegal under international law and has repeatedly warned that their expansion threatens efforts to establish a viable Palestinian state.
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