Kahanist attempt to establish an outpost in Madj al-Krum,48Palestine

10–16 September 2026 — Al-Rus, Majd al-Krum, in Galilee, in 1948 Palestinian Territories, a group of young Jewish settlers, reportedly including settlers from Tekoa in the West Bank, established a large encampment on land within Majd al-Krum's municipal jurisdiction, ostensibly for livestock grazing.

They erected tents and other structures and installed water/electricity infrastructure, although no livestock was initially present. Part of the site extended onto privately owned land belonging to Majd al-Krum residents. Local residents protested while police/Border Police heavily secured the site and restricted access.

Following sustained protests and an emergency KKL meeting, the encampment was dismantled on September 15–16. KKL nevertheless maintained that grazing would continue and considered establishing a smaller camp elsewhere.

Geolocation:

Location: al-Rus (א־רוס), within the municipal jurisdiction of Majd al-Krum, western Galilee, northern Israel. The site is between Majd al-Krum and Gilon. The relevant plot is approximately 8.7 dunams, in Block 19035, parcel 89. According to land-registry information cited by Adalah, approximately 50% is privately owned by residents of Majd al-Krum, while the remainder is held by the Development Authority. Most of the encampment was on land managed by the Jewish National Fund (KKL/JNF), which had leased the land for livestock grazing. Crucially, KKL itself subsequently acknowledged that the implementation had gone beyond the authorization: too many tents had been erected, some structures were outside KKL land, and the encampment had been established before livestock arrived.

Timeline of the events

10 September 2026

Residents discovered a group of young Jewish settlers establishing an encampment on the land. They put up a large tent, livestock pen and toilet structure, installed an electric pump on an old well, and connected the site to water and electricity. The group said it was there for grazing, but no sheep or goats were present. Residents told Arab48 that some of the young people said they came from West Bank settlements, and reports subsequently identified people from Tekoa.

11–13 September

The local council and residents publicly denounced the establishment of what they described as a new settler outpost. On 13 September, footage showed the large tents, electricity cables, furniture, water infrastructure and Israeli flag. Police/Border Police deployed heavily around the site and prevented local residents and activists from approaching the encampment.

On September 12, 2026, Israeli settlers set up large tents on lands in Majd al-Krum, in Galilee, in 1948 Palestinian Territories under heavy Israeli forces protection, while Israeli-Palestinian residents are barred from entering and protesting.

The police presence was substantial. As hundreds of Majd al-Krum residents came to protest, police and Border Police forces formed a buffer between residents and the settlers. On September 15, several protesters were detained, including activist Alon-Lee Green. N12 reported that around 500 Majd al-Krum residents participated in the protest.

15–16 September: dismantling

On 15 September, KKL held an emergency meeting and ordered the temporary structures dismantled. N12 reported that the decision was to remove the structures immediately.

By the evening of September 16, the encampment had been dismantled. +972 reported that the settlers and equipment were gradually removed after several days of protests, while police continued restricting access to the area. Arab48 likewise dates the evacuation to September 16.

Adalah subsequently documented the case and described the site as an illegal settler outpost established partly on privately owned Palestinian land.

Aftermath:

KKL chairman Eyal Ostrinsky said that the dismantling was temporary and that grazing would continue. The plan was to establish a smaller camp, farther from Majd al-Krum, on KKL-managed land, provided that an actual herd was brought to the site.

On 23 September, Arab48 reported that a new plan was being developed to re-establish the grazing site several hundred metres farther from the town, with fewer tents and local guards rather than settlers from the West Bank.

The Stake:

"The council argued that the provocative conduct of the outpost’s founders leaves no room for doubt regarding their intention to settle the area unlawfully; they even went so far as to declare that the land is “theirs, forever.” Public statements by Members of Knesset and government ministers further indicate that the outpost is part of a settlement initiative aimed at seizing land and altering the demographic balance in the Galilee through the establishment of communities and farms. The council stated that the volatile situation created by the outpost’s founders gives rise to a genuine concern regarding threats to public safety and security. The situation is reminiscent of settlers taking over land and establishing outposts in the West Bank under false pretenses."

In a letter, 260 local leaders and Jewish and Arab social activists appealed to the chairman of the JNF demanding immediate action to prevent escalation and maintain the fabric of shared life in the Galilee. The signatories warned: "When a group arrives in the area, establishes a compound there, and seeks, through a physical presence, to promote a nationalist agenda and determine facts on the ground, there is a real danger that what begins with a number of tents will, in the absence of a clear response, become a permanent presence and a dangerous precedent in other places in the Galilee."