In a week marked by escalating violence, political declarations, and international controversy, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has once again surged to the forefront of global attention. September 11, 2025, proved particularly consequential, with a series of military raids, settlement expansion announcements, and deadly attacks reshaping the landscape in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.
Early Thursday, Israeli occupation forces launched sweeping military operations across multiple governorates in the West Bank, abducting scores of Palestinians and imposing strict curfews on towns northwest of Jerusalem. According to reports from local sources and corroborated by international outlets, the soldiers stormed Beit Anan, detaining two siblings, Eyad and Wisam Elias Rabea’, after ransacking their home. The nearby towns of Biddu and Qatanna found themselves under military curfew, with armored vehicles and infantry units blocking movement, shutting down shops, and raiding homes. Residents described widespread destruction of property and a deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure, a pattern that has become all too familiar in recent days.
"The curfew has effectively sealed off both towns, preventing residents from accessing basic services or moving freely," one local resident shared with reporters, echoing the frustration felt across these besieged communities. The military escalation in northern Jerusalem’s towns, including Biddu, Qatanna, and Qubeiba, has now stretched into its fifth day, marked by mass home invasions, field interrogations, and violent assaults on civilians. Students have been unable to reach their schools, deepening the disruption to daily life under siege.
The clampdown was not confined to Jerusalem’s outskirts. In the central West Bank, Israeli troops invaded several towns and villages in Ramallah and al-Bireh, abducting three Palestinians: Luay Abdulhadi Abu Alia (25) from al-Mughayyir, Ahad Radwan Abu Adi from Kafr Ni’ma, and Abdulqader Mukhlis Kouk (20) from Turmus Ayya. These abductions followed violent home invasions and searches, further stoking tensions in an already volatile region.
Meanwhile, Israeli colonizers attacked the town of Atara, north of Ramallah, attempting to set fire to a Palestinian vehicle and defacing the home of Rami Sarahna with racist slogans. Local leaders described the attacks as part of a broader campaign to terrorize residents and seize strategic land. In Kobar, northwest of Ramallah, occupation forces abducted brothers Ahmad Adeeb Barghouti and Yahya Barghouti after confiscating their vehicle, adding to the tally of those detained in the day’s operations.
Jenin governorate in the northern West Bank also became a flashpoint. Four Palestinians from Silat ath-Thaher, including the town’s mayor Abdul-Fattah Abu Ali, his son Mohammad, Walid Kilani, and Akram al-Hantouli, were abducted. Troops also invaded the towns of Jaba’ and Kafr Dan, detaining Zaid Kanaan, Yamen Mar’i, and Mohammad Azzam Mar’i after raiding their homes and deploying military units throughout the streets.
In Bethlehem, large military units stormed Aida refugee camp, abducting Srour Ahmad Abu Srour (21) and Osaid Abu Shaiera (28). Additional abductions were reported in the eastern Obeyyat area and Deheishe refugee camp, where Nidal Ahmad Salem Obeyyat (52) and Bashar Ishaq Mohammad Abu Nima (24) were taken following home invasions. Salfit, in the central West Bank, saw a wide-ranging operation targeting senior members of the Fateh movement, including Ahmad Abdul-Karim ed-Deek, deputy secretary of Fateh in Salfit, and Jamal Hammad, a member of the Revolutionary Council. The secretary of Fateh’s Salfit branch, Abdul-Sattar Awad, remains in Israeli custody for the eighth consecutive day.
Hebron, in the southern West Bank, also witnessed invasions. Israeli forces abducted Ahmad Abdul-Halim Daoud Abu Sneina and Wissam Yousef Shawar Tamimi after invading and searching their homes. Additional raids in Ethna, Beit Awwa, and Deir Samet resulted in home searches and vandalism, though no abductions were confirmed.
This surge in military operations, coupled with escalating settler violence, reflects what many observers describe as a coordinated strategy of repression, land seizure, and forced displacement across the occupied West Bank. The scale and intensity of these invasions continue to threaten Palestinian lives, livelihoods, and political leadership, with long-term implications for any prospects of peace.
Amid this backdrop of violence, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a political bombshell. On September 11, 2025, he signed an agreement to advance a controversial settlement expansion plan in the West Bank, drawing immediate condemnation from Palestinian leaders and much of the international community. During a visit to the Maale Adumim settlement, Netanyahu declared, "There will never be a Palestinian state. This place is ours. We will safeguard our heritage, our land, and our security." According to Reuters, this plan includes the addition of thousands of new housing units to Maale Adumim and the revival of the E1 project, a long-stalled initiative that would bisect the occupied West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem.
The E1 project, which received final approval from a Defence Ministry planning commission in August 2025, had previously been frozen in 2012 and 2020 amid objections from the U.S. and European governments. The project’s total investment is estimated at nearly $1 billion and includes adding roads and upgrading major infrastructure. Nationalist members of Netanyahu’s coalition, including far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have voiced strong support for the expansion. In August, Smotrich stated that a Palestinian state "is being erased from the table, not with slogans but with actions."
The timing of the settlement announcement is notable, coming just two days after Israel attempted to kill Hamas leaders in Qatar—a move that was roundly condemned internationally. The expansion risks further isolating Israel and complicating its relations with Western allies, some of whom are now considering recognizing a Palestinian state at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly. Western capitals and campaign groups have long opposed the settlement project, warning that it undermines the two-state solution—a vision for peace that would see a Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza, existing side by side with Israel. Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law.
While political leaders debated the future of the region, violence on the ground continued unabated. On the morning of September 11, 2025, police shot two Palestinians who attempted to sneak through a breach in the West Bank security barrier, as reported by The Times of Israel. Both men were moderately injured. The breach had been used just three days earlier, on September 8, by two Palestinian terrorists who crossed into Jerusalem and carried out a deadly shooting attack at Ramot Junction, killing six civilians and injuring more than 20. The investigation into the September 8 attack is ongoing, with its details placed under a gag order by the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court. Security forces are continuing searches in the towns of Qatanna and al-Qubeiba, northwest of Jerusalem, where the attackers originated.
As the dust settles on yet another tumultuous week, Palestinians and Israelis alike are left grappling with the consequences of political brinkmanship, military escalation, and a peace process that appears more elusive than ever. The events of September 11, 2025, have underscored the deep divisions and enduring volatility that define the region’s struggle—a struggle that shows little sign of abating.