In the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian family's dream home has been taken over by Israeli settlers before construction was even complete. Mohammad Salameh, a resident of al-Auja village, was building a two-story house in Jalud for his family, including his recently engaged son who was to start married life there. Instead, a group of at least six settlers seized the property, as seen in video footage verified by Reuters.
Settlers on the Roof, Appeals Ignored
The video, filmed earlier in the week, showed settlers moving around on the roof of the unfinished house, which sits below a nearby hill. Salameh said he appealed to the Israeli military and police for help but received no response. He now fears the home is lost forever, surrounded as it is by Israeli settlements and outposts. "Only God knows, if there is law and order then they will leave," Salameh said. "If they succeeded with taking one, then the rest will follow."
Reuters was unable to reach the settlers for comment. One settler was seen walking on the roof on Thursday. The Israeli military said it was checking the request for comment but had not responded by Friday. The Israeli police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Escalation in Settler Attacks
The seizure of Palestinian land by settlers is a longstanding issue in the West Bank, where about 500,000 Israelis live among roughly 3 million Palestinians. Palestinians have long reported damage to farmland, vandalism, and attacks linked to settlement expansion. A UN inquiry reported last month that Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian villages and agricultural land surged by 130 percent since 2023.
Residents of Jalud say this week's incident marks a troubling escalation because the settlers seized a house that was still under construction. "They have now moved down to within no more than 100 meters from the last house in Jalud, which is also a house under construction belonging to a resident," said Raed Al-Hajj Mohammad, head of the village council. Jalud has faced five major settler attacks, including the burning of homes, damage to vehicles, and the uprooting of trees.
International Law and Political Context
Most countries and the United Nations regard Israeli settlements in the West Bank as illegal under international law, citing the Fourth Geneva Convention's prohibition on transferring a civilian population into occupied territory. Israel rejects that position, saying the West Bank is disputed territory where there has been a Jewish presence for thousands of years. Palestinians consider the West Bank, together with Gaza and East Jerusalem, as part of a Palestinian state.
Settlement building and settler violence have long been among the biggest obstacles to peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians. Even Israel's staunchest allies, including the United States, have condemned settler actions. Nevertheless, settlement expansion has accelerated under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, which relies on hard-line pro-settlement parties to maintain its parliamentary majority.
Personal Toll on Salameh Family
For Salameh, the dispute is painfully personal. Construction on the house stalled after the Gaza war erupted in 2023, when his son could not find work and the family's finances came under strain. "The neighbor close by has built a two-story house, which they will probably take too, if we lose this house (his) they will lose theirs," he said.
