Israel approves plan for firing ranges at 31 West Bank sites
The plan covers 29 settlements, outposts and neighborhoods plus two industrial zones, as settler attacks rose sharply in October.
Israeli authorities have approved a plan to set up firing ranges at 31 sites in the occupied West Bank, the Commission Against the Wall and Settlements said on Tuesday.
The plan, numbered 200/5, covers 29 settlements, outposts and neighborhoods as well as two industrial zones, the commission said.
The sites lie in the governorates of Ramallah and Al-Bireh, Jerusalem, Nablus, Jericho and the Jordan Valley.
The commission said the list includes the Maccabim industrial zone, built on land of the town of Saffa west of Ramallah and Al-Bireh, and the Tel Maryam area, known as Sha'ar Binyamin, in the Jerusalem governorate.
Under the plan, firing ranges are listed as a permitted use on land otherwise designated for public buildings, tourism, commerce, industry, sports and recreation.
The ranges are intended for live-fire training, the use of firearms and the certification of people to carry weapons, the commission said.
It noted that a 2022 Israeli government list included nine licensed firing ranges inside West Bank settlements, including Ariel, Karnei Shomron, Ma'on and Alon Shvut.
A 2024 document from the economic arm of the Mateh Binyamin settlement council proposed a range in the Psagot settlement, linking the need to a rise in firearm license applications after Oct. 7, 2023.
The commission said the approval creates a broader planning framework, but each range still requires the necessary permits before it can be built and operated.
It warned that expanding weapons-training facilities in areas that often see attacks raises the risk to Palestinian communities and could push them to abandon their land.
The commission reported that 31 Palestinians have been killed by settlers since the start of this year.
It documented 1,369 settler attacks in October, a 111.6 percent increase from 647 in September.
The Ramallah and Al-Bireh governorate recorded 393 attacks in October and the Nablus governorate 353, including shootings, assaults, arson, crop destruction and the theft of produce and livestock.
The commission called for protection of Palestinian citizens and for accountability for the attackers and for those who support and enable them.
The West Bank has been under Israeli military occupation since 1967, and Israeli settlements there are considered illegal under international law, a position Israel disputes.
