'Israel' controls more than 41% of the West Bank: Report

• A Palestinian authority says 'Israel' now exercises effective control over about 41% of the occupied West Bank, warning this undermines the two-state solution.
• The report documents a sharp rise in settler violence, land confiscations, demolitions, and settlement expansion during 2025.

A Palestinian authority has warned that 'Israeli' authorities now exercise effective control over approximately 41% of the occupied West Bank, describing the shift as a systematic move toward permanent domination rather than temporary occupation.

In its annual report released on Monday, the Palestinian Authority for Resisting the Wall and Settlements said 'Israeli' control has evolved beyond the framework of Area C under the Oslo Accords into what it called “extended effective control,” fragmenting the West Bank into isolated enclaves and undermining the viability of a two-state solution.

From Area C to fragmented enclaves

The report said 'Israel' tightens its grip over nearly 70% of areas classified as Area C and more than 90% of the Jordan Valley, while exercising full security and civil control over all of Area C, which accounts for over 60% of the West Bank.

According to the authority, this control differs from the post-Oslo period by reducing Palestinian geography to besieged islands, pushing Palestinians out of their vital land space and transforming occupation into a permanent reality through military orders and land confiscation.

‘Systematic paving of the way to end the two-state solution’

The authority described current policies as a “methodical paving of the way to eliminate the two-state solution,” using intertwined military, legal, and economic tools to entrench settlement expansion and displace Palestinians. It warned that 'Israeli' actions are turning settlement activity from a creeping reality into a governance system imposed by force and legislation.

Call for unified national response

The head of the authority, Mu’ayyad Shaaban, called for moving beyond merely describing the danger toward building a comprehensive national response to protect Palestinian land. Speaking at a press conference in Ramallah, he urged clearer division of roles and stronger coordination among official institutions, political factions, and civil society, alongside strengthening organized popular resistance.

Shaaban said the authority documents between 10 and 15 settler attacks daily and stressed that neither citizens nor institutions can face the situation alone without a unified national strategy.

Rising attacks and settlement expansion

According to the report, 'Israeli' forces and settlers carried out 23,827 attacks in the West Bank since the start of 2025, including 4,723 by settlers, resulting in the killing of 14 Palestinians. The authority highlighted approval of the long-delayed E1 settlement plan as one of the most dangerous developments, warning it deepens the separation of Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings.

'Israel' also approved the establishment of new settlements and outposts, expanded existing ones, and issued tenders for more than 10,000 new settlement units, while settlers set up dozens of new outposts, forcing the displacement of multiple Bedouin communities.

Land confiscation, demolitions, and environmental damage

The report documented widespread land seizures, the demolition of hundreds of Palestinian structures, and the uprooting or damage of more than 35,000 trees, most of them olive trees. It said thousands of dunams were allocated for settler grazing, security roads, fences, and military zones.

Legislation deepening control

The authority also accused 'Israel’s' parliament of using legislation to entrench settlement expansion, legalize outposts, expand settler authority, and erode the legal status of Palestinian land, effectively turning the occupation into a system of enforced sovereignty backed by law.

Shaaban stressed the need to activate international legal accountability mechanisms and present a unified political and media narrative that frames developments on the ground as a full-fledged settler-colonial project rather than isolated measures.