Two years ago this week, Israel’s Security Cabinet made a dramatic decision that sparked hope among local leaders and the Regavim movement, which has been tracking the issue for years. The government promised to finally take responsibility, stop the lawlessness, and enforce aggressively against the ‘Palestinian’ Authority’s rampant encroachment into the Nature Reserve in the Judean Desert.
The background lies in the Oslo Accords, when the area was handed to the ‘PA’ as Area B territory. That designation prevented the Israeli Civil Administration from operating there for years, creating a governance vacuum filled with pollution and illegal construction. But two years ago, after heavy pressure from the Jewish pioneer movement, the commander of the IDF’s Central Command signed an order canceling the ‘PA”s authority in the reserve and transferring it to the military.
But since then, promises are one thing—reality on the ground is another. As Regavim explains in a video documenting the legal proceedings, the ‘PA’ deployed one of its most effective legal weapons and petitioned the High Court of Justice against the demolition orders. Following the petition, the court temporarily froze the state’s enforcement actions.
Although the court ruled that no new construction would be permitted during the interim period, fresh footage from the area proves that Arabs are ignoring the law, exploiting the “freeze” under High Court protection to keep building and establishing facts on the ground without interference.
New Footage: A Giant City in the Heart of the Desert
In new videos filmed recently in the reserve area, the scale of blatantly illegal construction is exposed. These aren’t temporary structures—this is massive permanent construction using concrete and blocks, including sprawling homes and a network of infrastructure.
As Regavim, one of the leading organizations in the fight, explains, the Arabs’ goal is clear and planned: building a giant, continuous city designed to connect the villages around Bethlehem and eastern Gush Etzion, through the depths of the desert, all the way to Jordan and the Dead Sea.