From a sprawling industrial complex atop a hill, a family of Israeli settlers operates a manufacturing process for prefabricated housing units in an effort to accelerate the expansion of illegal Jewish outposts in the West Bank, driving Palestinians from their homes.
Libi Construction and Infrastructure Group, owned by brothers Eliav and Harel “Koko” Libi, is building a new factory to produce the simple white structures that they and others install in outposts, Eliav Libi said in a social media post in April. At least five warehouses surrounded by rows of prefabricated homes and piles of building materials were visible at the company’s complex on the outskirts of the Shiloh settlement, as seen from an adjacent road recently, while excavators worked to expand the site.
Their activities reflect a growing settlement approach aimed at quickly and cheaply asserting control over large areas of West Bank land. Instead of constructing modern complexes and neighborhoods under permits from the Israeli government, these outposts often begin with one or two prefabricated homes without any official approval. These outposts are inhabited by young Israeli shepherds who bring their livestock to graze on land used by Palestinian shepherds and farmers.
The United Nations, many European countries, and others widely condemn all Israeli settlements. Outposts like those established by the Libi brothers are illegal even under Israeli law, which requires prior approval for construction in areas under Israeli administrative control in the West Bank. Nevertheless, the brothers enjoy broad support from the Israeli government in their relentless pursuit of expanding these outposts, as part of a wider wave of settlement expansion in the West Bank since the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) attacks on Israel in 2023 and the ensuing war in Gaza.
A Reuters examination of the brothers’ extensive activities showed that during that period, they contributed to the establishment of at least nine new agricultural outposts. Overall, Israeli settlers established 184 unauthorized outposts in the West Bank during the three years ending in 2025, a number nearly equal to the total established during the previous three decades, according to the Israeli anti-settlement human rights organization Peace Now. The Israeli government does not regularly publish data on outposts, but government officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, announce figures only slightly lower than the organization’s numbers. Peace Now and the Palestinian government in the West Bank say the total number of outposts currently stands at about 410. The organization, which monitors settlement activity through a field verification team, also indicates that settlers established 86 outposts last year alone. Reuters verified the existence of 30 of these outposts through field visits and satellite imagery.
Peace Now and the Israeli human rights organization Kerem Navot state in a joint report that these outposts, collectively, extend over approximately one-fifth of the West Bank’s area, with most of this land seized during the four years since the current Netanyahu-led government took power. Settlers report a similar estimate of about 1,000 square kilometers.
The Libi brothers are prominent figures in the hardline settler movement that uses livestock, crops, fences, and sometimes violence, to expand the Israeli presence in the West Bank. Eliav Libi, in particular, has played a role in pushing political and military leaders to adopt outposts as a strategy to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, which they say would pose a security risk to Israel.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) states that fatal attacks by settlers against Palestinians are increasing in conjunction with the spread of outposts. OCHA data shows that at least 16 Palestinians were killed in attacks by Israeli settlers last year, while over 1,100 others were injured, a record number. Attacks have escalated further this year, with 23 Palestinians killed and over 1,000 injured as of August. In comparison, data shows that Palestinians killed one settler and injured 22 settlers this year. A UN investigation in June concluded that Israeli forces typically provide protection for these violent acts, for example, by accompanying settlers during their attacks on Palestinian villages.
Reuters concluded that the Israeli government granted the Libi brothers a license for the new factory, grazing permits, and an agricultural grant, as part of what Peace Now said was Ministry of Agriculture funding for outposts totaling approximately $1 million. It was also found that the government approved an additional $1.3 million for an organization closely linked to the Libi brothers, which had not been previously disclosed. The Israeli Ministry of Defense also employed the Libi brothers for work that included demolishing Palestinian homes in war-torn Gaza, according to government data and a brief interview with Harel Libi. Government ministers, including Defense Minister Israel Katz, met with Eliav Libi and his associates to discuss their work and plans. The government had already recognized at least three outposts established by the Libi brothers, including one established last year, which means they could be developed into larger settlements.
