Israel re-establishes closed West Bank settlement, defying growing international protests

What the report says

BBC World News reports that Israeli settlers have returned to Kadim, a settlement in the occupied West Bank near Jenin, more than 20 years after it was evacuated by a previous Israeli government. According to the BBC, about 30 “pioneer families” arrived on Thursday, with the move backed by senior figures in Israel’s current government, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Justice Minister Yariv Levin. The reopening is part of a broader rollback of a 20-year ban on Jewish settlement in the Jenin area.

The report says the settlers’ return is unfolding alongside expanded settlement activity and new military construction around Jenin. It notes that Israeli authorities have approved more than 100 new settlements in the West Bank since the government took office in late 2022, while Palestinian residents nearby describe growing fear and disruption. The BBC also cites concerns from residents and officials that roads, farmland and businesses are being affected by demolitions and construction linked to the settlement drive.

Kadim had been closed in 2005 under Israel’s disengagement plan, which also removed settlers from Gaza and several northern West Bank settlements. The BBC says current Israeli policy has reversed that ban, even as the international view remains that Israeli settlements in occupied territory are illegal. The story places the development in the context of heightened political support for settlement expansion and warns that the pace of change is reshaping daily life for Palestinians around Jenin.