Israeli ministers to inaugurate Metzoke Eretz settlement in West Bank on September 23

September 29, 2026 at 03:50 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Israeli ministers and lawmakers will attend the founding ceremony of the Metzoke Eretz settlement in the occupied West Bank on September 23. The event is part of a pre-election push by right-wing parties to showcase settlement expansion. The ceremony comes as Israeli authorities announce a weeklong closure of the West Bank for Jewish holidays.

Key Facts

The Metzoke Eretz settlement ceremony is scheduled for September 23, with Israeli ministers and MPs in attendance.
Israeli forces razed 24 homes in Jinba village on September 23, displacing about 180 people, including more than 80 children.
Israeli authorities announced a weeklong closure of the West Bank and its crossings for the Jewish holidays starting Sunday.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the army to “go to war” in the occupied West Bank.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir released a video from prison threatening to kill jailed Hamas figure Hassan Salameh.

Settlement Inauguration

On September 23, Israeli ministers and members of parliament will attend the founding ceremony of the new illegal settlement Metzoke Eretz in the occupied West Bank. The politicians, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, will argue that only a Netanyahu-led government can sustain the momentum of settlement building. The site was previously the Netzah Harel outpost, established in 2023, near the Bedouin community of al-Muarrajat al-Wasat on private Palestinian land. Metzoke Eretz is one of 104 settlements the Israeli government has legalised during its term, despite remaining illegal under international law.

Demolitions and Displacement

Demolitions continued alongside settlement building, focused on Masafer Yatta in the southern occupied West Bank. Israeli forces razed 24 homes in the village of Jinba on September 23, displacing about 180 people, more than 80 of them children, according to Israeli rights group B’Tselem. The demolitions are part of a pattern of large-scale operations in Masafer Yatta in recent weeks.

Holiday Closures and Checkpoints

After days of road closures for Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, Israeli authorities announced a weeklong closure of the territory and its crossings for the Jewish holidays starting Sunday. Forces shut roads and village entrances around Ramallah, including those of Turmus Aya, Aboud, Nabi Saleh, Atara and Taybeh, and set up checkpoints at Yabrud, Ein Siniya and Jaba. Palestinian news agency Wafa described “severe and unprecedented” congestion that day, with hundreds of vehicles stranded at checkpoints. On Monday, soldiers at Atara stopped ambulances from crossing, forcing residents to ferry patients through in private cars and hand them over at the checkpoint, according to field activists Ayed Jafry and Fidaa Barghouthi. Jafry also reported soldiers closing the gate at Sinjil, the town’s only entrance.