Brick by brick, Palestine’s future is being stolen

Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank is not only a violation of international law but a direct assault on the daily lives, dignity and future of the Palestinian people. With every new illegal settlement, Palestinian families are forced from their homes, their land stolen and their communities fragmented. The consequences are devastating — entire generations are growing up under the constant threat of displacement, their livelihoods systematically eroded by a state policy designed to make life unbearable. The world must confront this injustice, not as an abstract political issue but as a relentless campaign of forced displacement that is destroying Palestinian society.
Across the West Bank, Palestinian families are being driven from their homes by a combination of military orders, settler violence and economic strangulation. The village of Khan Al-Ahmar, for instance, has become a symbol of this injustice. Despite international condemnation, Israel has repeatedly attempted to demolish the community, forcing its residents — many of whom are Bedouins who have already been displaced multiple times — to live in constant uncertainty.
Similarly, in Masafer Yatta, more than 1,000 Palestinians face imminent expulsion after an Israeli court ruled that their land could be turned into a military training zone. These are not isolated incidents; they are part of a calculated strategy to push Palestinians out of their ancestral lands, making way for Israeli settlers who move in with full state support and military protection.
The impact of illegal settlements extends beyond the immediate destruction of Palestinian homes. Entire communities are being cut off from their agricultural land, their water sources and even basic infrastructure like roads and schools. Israeli settlers, emboldened by government policies, routinely attack Palestinian farmers, uproot olive trees and block access to essential resources.

Israel is systematically engineering a reality in which Palestinians are left with no land, no rights and no future. 

Hani Hazaimeh

The economic toll is immense. Palestinian families who have farmed their land for generations are being pushed into poverty, unable to sustain their way of life. In the cities, businesses suffer under movement restrictions, while home demolitions and residency revocations continue to strip Palestinians of their rights. The goal is clear: to make Palestinian existence in the West Bank untenable, forcing more families into displacement.
The repercussions of this forced displacement are not confined to Palestine alone. If settlements continue to expand unchecked, the entire region will feel the consequences, with Jordan being the most directly affected. Jordan has already absorbed multiple waves of Palestinian refugees and another mass displacement would strain its economy, infrastructure and demographic balance. Israel’s policies are making the “alternative homeland” theory — a dangerous notion that suggests Jordan should permanently absorb displaced Palestinians — seem more plausible. This is not only unacceptable but a direct threat to Jordan’s sovereignty and stability.
As the world watches in silence, Israel is systematically engineering a reality in which Palestinians are left with no land, no rights and no future. This is not a conflict between two equal sides — it is the displacement of an entire people by a state that enjoys impunity. The international community must act decisively to halt settlement expansion, enforce accountability for settler violence and uphold the basic rights of Palestinians to live in their own land. Anything less is complicity in a policy of slow but deliberate ethnic cleansing.

• Hani Hazaimeh is a senior editor based in Amman. X: @hanihazaimeh