LONDON: Israeli forces on Tuesday brought additional mobile homes to an area close to the Tayasir military checkpoint, east of Tubas in the northern West Bank, in what Palestinian officials said was part of a plan to establish a new settlement there.
Mutaz Bisharat, a Palestinian official in Tubas, said an Israeli military base in the area that was evacuated two decades ago later became a settlement outpost, known as Goder, run by a local council with Israeli government backing. Now it appears to be expanding.
“Today, the Goder outpost is being established near the Tayasir checkpoint, where the local settlement council has brought dozens of caravans onto the site and begun setting up the settlement,” Bisharat told Arab News.
Settlements are officially approved and built with the full authorization of the Israeli government, whereas outposts are not. Both are considered illegal under international law.
Local Palestinian leaders also said the latest Israeli move reflected a broader pattern of settlement expansions in the area. Mahdi Daraghmeh, head of Al-Maleh Village Council, confirmed that Israeli forces have continued to move caravans to the Goder site as part of its plans for the new settlement, one of several that were previously announced, the Palestinian WAFA news agency reported.
Mutaz Bisharat, a Palestinian official in Tubas, said the Israeli base was evacuated about 20 years ago. (Supplied)
Israeli authorities were also bulldozing and leveling land near the checkpoint, and planned to build a synagogue, recreational facilities and a swimming pool, Daraghmeh said.
The activity around Tayasir comes amid what Palestinians and rights groups describe as a surge in settlement expansions across the northern Jordan Valley with the aim of entrenching Israeli control in the area. In 2025, Israeli authorities expanded the municipal boundaries of 69 settlements, incorporating about 8.5 sq. km of land that was previously outside their jurisdiction, according to the Israeli watchdog Peace Now.
The expansions have coincided with increased pressure on Palestinian communities. Since October 2023, when Israeli authorities launched its military campaign in Gaza following a deadly Hamas-led attack, settlers have intensified incursions and expanded outposts across the West Bank.
At least 1,988 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank were displaced during the first four months of this year, about 20 percent more than during the whole of 2025, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Its data shows that since January 2025, the areas in which the most Palestinians have been displaced by settler-related incidents are Ramallah (1,205 people), Jericho (861) and Tubas (619).
