On 25 February 2026, BIHR held an emergency diplomatic briefing addressing the newly legalized illegal Israeli settlement “Yatziv” in Beit Sahour and the escalating patterns of annexation and displacement across the Bethlehem Governorate. The briefing offered diplomats direct field insight into how Israel’s relentless settlement expansion, house demolitions, and spatial fragmentation policies undermine the Palestinian territorial continuity and threaten the survival of communities in the Bethlehem Governorate.
The briefing included visiting Ush al-Ghurab in Beit Sahour, where a former Israeli military base has been transformed into a civilian settlement. BIHR’s second stop was at a Palestinian family home whose land has been divided by the annexation wall in Bethlehem, fragmenting their neighborhood and restricting access to extended family’s homes. The visit concluded in Al-Khader, where six families were displaced following multiple demolitions in a single area.
