Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Wednesday that Israel had begun demolishing 26 Palestinian buildings near Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank.
Smotrich, leader of the far-right Religious Zionism party, said on X that the demolitions began on Wednesday morning and described the Palestinian buildings as "illegal."
He also posted photos he said showed the demolition operation, which comes amid accelerating illegal Israeli settlement activity across the occupied West Bank.
Settlements near Jenin
In late 2025, the Israeli government approved the reestablishment of Ganim and Kadim near Jenin as part of a decision to establish or reorganise 19 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Israel evacuated Ganim and Kadim in 2005, along with Homesh and Sa-Nur, under its "disengagement plan", which also involved the evacuation of all illegal Israeli settlements from Gaza.
The plan provided for the withdrawal from the four illegal settlements and permanent military installations in the area, allowing greater Palestinian geographical contiguity in the northern occupied West Bank.
Israel has since rolled back some restrictions linked to the plan. In March 2023, the Knesset amended the "disengagement plan" law, removing restrictions that had barred Israelis from entering and residing in areas of the northern West Bank evacuated in 2005.
Settlement expansion
According to the latest report by the UN secretary-general on illegal settlements, Israeli authorities advanced or approved plans for 4,750 settlement units in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, between March 14 and June 12.
On March 25, the Israeli government also approved the establishment or legalisation of 34 illegal settlements in Area C of the West Bank, the largest number approved in a single government decision, according to the report.
UN Security Council Resolution 2334 affirms that illegal Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including occupied East Jerusalem, have "no legal validity" and constitute a flagrant violation of international law.
