Authorities in Tel Aviv have approved the expansion of personal firearm permits for settlers across a number of communities in the occupied West Bank, a move that has heightened anxiety among Palestinian residents already living under the pressures of a prolonged genocidal war. The decision applies to multiple settlements deemed illegal under international law and is presented domestically as part of a broader overhaul of gun regulations. Critics argue it effectively formalises the arming of civilian populations in occupied territory, further tilting the balance of power on the ground.

Officials promoting the measure have pointed to a dramatic surge in the number of licences issued in recent years, describing the scale as unprecedented. On the ground, however, Palestinians report that armed settlers have increasingly targeted villages and farmland, seeking to force communities off their land and consolidate control. Casualty figures and mass detentions in the West Bank have risen sharply since late 2023, reinforcing perceptions that the policy will fuel, rather than contain, violence within an already volatile environment shaped by a genocidal war.

The authorisation coincided with the establishment of new outposts near Palestinian communities east of Jerusalem and south of Nablus, where tents were erected on privately owned land. Local officials warned that villages such as Qusra now face near-total encirclement, threatening livelihoods and freedom of movement. Later the same day, residents described night-time clashes as settlers, accompanied by security forces, confronted villagers, prompting locals to organise in defence of their homes.

More than half a century after the occupation began, hundreds of thousands of settlers now live in a dense network of settlements spread across the West Bank and East Jerusalem. These communities have repeatedly been deemed unlawful by international bodies, with courts and resolutions calling for their removal. Yet the continued expansion of settlements and the decision to arm their residents underscore a widening gap between international legal rulings and realities on the ground.