Israeli Settler Outposts The phenomenon of settler outposts in the occupied State of Palestine begins with a small number of settlers occupying hilltops near parent settlements around the West Bank.
Settlement outposts are built without official authorization but with support and assistance from government ministries. Usually, once a settler or group of settlers establishes a post on a hilltop, the IOF (Israeli Occupation Forces) will come to secure the area, while water and electricity is linked to the outpost. Currently, there are approximately 220 settler outposts in the occupied State of Palestine.
The origins of outposts can be stemmed back to 1998 when former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called upon settlers to “occupy hilltops.” When settlement outposts are established, they become permanent features of the land ready to be linked with other larger Israeli settlements. The settlement enterprise attracted the spotlight in 2005 after Talia Sasson, commissioned by Ariel Sharon, released her report outlining the legality of settlements in the OPT.
Israeli Outposts do not have the same status as government settlements, although they enjoy the protection of the IOF, as well as the same infrastructural privileges given to Israelis but not Palestinians – such as settler-only roads. The locations of outposts are not haphazardly chosen; they are in fact geostrategically selected in locations around the larger settlements in order to link them together with the aim of facilitating greater annexation of land.
For related infograph, click HERE
Prepared by:
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem
