Recent developments across the occupied West Bank through late February 2026 reveal a volatile mix: Israeli police and Shin Bet are probing a suspected settler arson on a Palestinian village in the southern West Bank (Israeli military statement, Tue Feb 2026), while clashes in Aqaba near Tubas left eight Palestinians treated for tear‑gas inhalation, some with burns (local medical reports, Tue Feb 2026). Lawyers for the Israeli government told the Supreme Court that ministers Israel Katz and Bezalel Smotrich are advancing a plan to relocate Palestinians from Arab al‑Ramadin al‑Janubi, a move rights groups say amounts to coercive displacement (court submissions, Tue Feb 2026).

Complicating the human‑rights landscape, the US Embassy announced it will for the first time operate pop‑up passport services inside two Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, a step critics argue normalises and tacitly legitimises illegal settlements under international law (US Embassy notice, Tue Feb 2026). Taken together, these measures deepen protections gaps for Palestinians, increase dispossession risks, and may breach obligations under the law of occupation.

Remedies require transparent investigations into settler crimes, an end to forced relocations, and diplomatic clarity by third states: consular outreach that erodes legal norms around occupation undercuts accountability. Without corrective action, the West Bank’s fragile status will be further eroded, escalating both rights abuses and international legal exposure.

Sources: Israeli military statement, court submissions reported in Israeli press, US Embassy announcement, February 2026.