Gaza: A new study has found that Israeli authorities are reshaping control over land in the West Bank through military seizure orders issued for security purposes. The study, prepared by researcher Amir Dawood and published as part of the Palestinian Policy Papers series by the Institute of Palestine Studies, examines these orders as a central tool used to restructure land control.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the study found that such orders, which are formally presented as temporary measures based on military necessity, have effectively become a systematic policy used to create lasting facts on the ground. Rather than being limited to immediate security needs, they are increasingly used for long-term projects, including the construction of security roads, buffer zones around settlements, and expanded control over Palestinian land.
The study highlighted a significant increase in the issuance of seizure orders, rising from 32 in 2023 to 35 in 2024, and then jumping to 94 in 2025. This trend indicates a growing reliance on this mechanism. Additionally, since October 7, 2023, 173 military orders have been issued, resulting in the seizure of approximately 4,211 dunums of land for projects such as roads, buffer zones, military sites, and fencing.
The research pointed out that this practice exceeds the limits set by international humanitarian law regarding military necessity, as the concept is being expanded to include projects that primarily serve settlement infrastructure rather than direct military operations. Seizure orders function as a legal workaround, maintaining a temporary appearance while leading in practice to permanent changes in land use.
The study identified three main patterns: the use of such orders to build roads that later serve settlements, the establishment of buffer zones that isolate and degrade Palestinian land ahead of its reclassification, and the allocation of so-called state land to support these measures as part of a broader system of territorial control.
Ultimately, the study concluded that the cumulative impact of these policies amounts to 'functional annexation,' meaning the imposition of permanent control without formal declaration. This allows authorities to avoid legal and diplomatic consequences while altering land use, severing ties between Palestinians and their land, and reinforcing settlement expansion.