Israel merges two settler outposts near Jerusalem, furthering the fragmentation of the West Bank
Qassam Muaddi reports in Mondoweiss on 14 September 2026:
As the UK prepared the announcement of sanctions on Israeli settlements last week, the Israeli government announced yet another settlement expansion project east of Jerusalem. The timing, according to observers, is not coincidental, and the scale of what was announced is unlike most settlement expansion decisions that have come before it.
On September 4, the Israeli government announced the confiscation of 1,522 dunams (152.2 hectares) from the lands of the Palestinian town of Abu Dis, southeast of Jerusalem, declaring them as “state property.” The confiscated land includes an illegal Israeli outpost called Keidar South, which is to be attached to the nearby Israeli settlement of Mishmar Yehuda, effectively turning an illegal outpost into an extension of what is planned to be a full-fledged Israeli city.
The planned city is located on the southeast side of Jerusalem, between the large Israeli settlement block of Gush Etzion to the south and the Ma’ale Adumim settlement block to the east. It also straddles the node separating the northern West Bank from its southern half, making it a strategic section of the West Bank’s “Area C” — the over 60 percent of the territory that falls under full Israeli administrative and military control in accordance with the 1993 Oslo Accords.
The significance of this move lies in Israel’s broader plans to sever the West Bank’s northern and southern halves, effectively splitting the territory in two. By turning two illegal settler outposts into a single Israeli city between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, last week’s announcement dovetails with another cornerstone of Israel’s plan to bifurcate the West Bank, known as the E-1 settlement project, which also aims to fragment the territory.