An article published by Haaretz on September 7, 2026, by Chen Maanit and Nir Hasson, reported that Israel’s High Court of Justice ordered the state to allow three Palestinian families who were expelled from their homes in the village of Jalud to return, and to provide security for them. The decision was issued in a petition filed through Attorney Ghiath Nasser, following repeated settler attacks, the takeover of homes, blocked access roads, and ongoing damage to property and infrastructure.
According to the article, the court sharply criticized the conduct of the Israeli military and police for failing to prevent the settler attacks and the expulsion of the families, and for failing to take sufficient action to bring those responsible to justice. The court also issued a conditional order requiring the state to detail, by September 22, what measures it is taking to arrest those responsible for the attacks, prevent them from returning and harming the Palestinian residents, and pursue their prosecution.
In their decision, Supreme Court President Isaac Amit and Justices Yechiel Kasher and Alex Stein wrote that: “the bottom line, based on the material before us at the time of writing, is that the petitioners have still been unable to return to their homes. This fact speaks for itself and cannot be accepted.”
The article further reported that the justices instructed the state to coordinate a date for the families’ return, during which security forces are to protect them and allow them to bring in the equipment and supplies needed to repair their homes and restore their water and electricity infrastructure.
The article describes a prolonged series of incidents which, according to the court’s decision, began in April, when settlers erected a tent on the residents’ privately owned land. The Palestinian families were then subjected to incursions, threats, roadblocks, stone-throwing, damage to property and infrastructure, cutting off the water line, uprooting trees, grazing livestock on private land, setting fire to a family vehicle, and blocking the road connecting the homes to Jalud with large rocks. According to the article, these attacks effectively cut off the homes and placed them under a de facto siege, forcing the families to leave in July.
The article also highlights the court’s sharp criticism of the failure of the IDF and the police to effectively confront the settler attacks. Among other things, the justices questioned why soldiers had been filmed playing soccer with settlers who had taken over the homes, why police had not seized vehicles documented as being used in the attacks, and why people clearly identified in footage had not been arrested. The justices wrote: “The picture that emerges is extremely bleak”, adding that “There are questions in abundance; satisfactory answers – fewer.”
Attorney Ghiath Nasser, who filed the petition on behalf of the residents, stated in response to the article that the ruling is a courageous and important decision by the High Court, and a significant milestone in confronting the phenomenon of settlers taking over Palestinian homes and land in the West Bank. He added that the court made clear that general statements about enforcement are not enough, and that the real test is the result: whether homeowners can return to their homes safely and whether the intruders are actually removed.
To read the article — click here.
