Palestinian business owners in the West Bank received orders Monday to demolish 15 shops, coming just one day after top Israeli government officials gathered to mark the revival of a nearby settlement.
The demolition notices were issued to Al-Fandaqumiya village, according to a local leader, following Sunday’s ceremony where Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar marked the reestablishment of the Sa-Nur settlement.
Sa-Nur, located in the northern West Bank, was among 19 settlements removed in 2005 as part of Israel’s disengagement plan that also withdrew settlers from Gaza – a decision that continues to anger Israel’s political right.
The current far-right Israeli government has pushed for aggressive settlement growth, with Palestinians receiving thousands of demolition notices since the administration came to power, United Nations records show.
International law considers Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank illegal, though Israel contests this position. The territory remains central to Palestinian hopes for a future state, but expanding settlements have divided the land into fragments.
Under the present government, Israel has authorized 102 additional settlements, nearly doubling the 127 that existed when officials took office, according to Israeli advocacy group Peace Now.
Refaat Qaruriya, who leads Al-Fandaqumiya’s village council, said store owners received 30 days’ notice for the demolitions. He expressed concern that the Sa-Nur settlement would prevent villagers from reaching their agricultural land.
Israeli military officials stated the shop demolitions were ordered because the structures lacked proper building permits, insisting the timing had no connection to Sa-Nur’s reestablishment.
Palestinians maintain that obtaining such construction permits is nearly impossible under current policies.
“This development (in Sa-Nur) raises serious concerns regarding further escalation, restrictions on Palestinian access to land, and the deepening of a de facto annexation reality,” Palestinian Authority official Amir Daoud told Reuters.
Smotrich has openly advocated for West Bank annexation, stating his goal of achieving “maximum territory and minimum (Palestinian) population” under Israeli control.
During Sunday’s ceremony, Smotrich also urged Israeli settlement of “all of Gaza” along with territories Israel occupies in Lebanon and Syria.
With Israeli elections scheduled by late October, both Katz’s Likud party and Smotrich’s Religious Zionism group have seen declining poll numbers. Both parties rely heavily on settler support.
“It’s clear that the whole land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel, period. About what to do with the Arabs, I don’t have an answer to what to do with them – the land belongs to us,” said Meir Goldmintz, a settler moving to Sa-Nur.
United Nations data shows at least 580 settler attacks on Palestinians since early 2026, forcing approximately 1,800 people from their homes due to violence and access limitations.
Human Rights Watch has characterized the increasing violence and Palestinian displacement in the West Bank as ethnic cleansing supported by Israeli authorities – an accusation Israel denies.
Israeli prosecutions of settler violence remain uncommon, according to Israeli rights organization Yesh Din.
