Lawyers for Justice, in cooperation with “Al-Baidar” Organization for the Defense of Bedouin Rights, announces the release of a new shadow report entitled:

“The Systematic and Structural Erasure of Palestinian Bedouin Communities in the West Bank”

The report covers the period between 2025–2026 and highlights the systematic policies and gross violations targeting Bedouin communities in Area C of the West Bank. It frames these actions within a colonial framework aimed at undermining the foundations of their survival and imposing coercive conditions to drive their displacement.

The report is structured around four primary pillars:

1. Historical and Demographic Context of Bedouin Communities: It addresses the deep-rooted presence of these communities as an integral part of the Palestinian social fabric, focusing on their reality in Area C—which constitutes 60% of the West Bank and remains under full Israeli military control. The report notes that 70% of the population in these communities are originally refugees who were forcibly displaced in 1948.
2. Documented Patterns of Violations (The Coercive Environment): The report documents the escalating frequency of interconnected violations, most notably systematic settler violence, military incursions, demolition and confiscation policies, and restricted access to water resources and grazing lands, particularly following the events of October 7, 2023.
3. Legal Analysis of Forcible Displacement: This legal section examines the gap between the occupying power’s international obligations and the reality on the ground. It argues that these practices amount to “De Facto Forcible Transfer,” constituting a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and international human rights law.
4. Impact on Identity and Social Fabric: The report analyzes how these policies lead to the erasure of cultural identity and the traditional Bedouin lifestyle, undermining communal ties and the capacity to sustain pastoral and agricultural livelihoods.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The report concludes that the continuation of these policies aims to reconfigure the geographical landscape in favor of settlement expansion at the expense of the indigenous Palestinian population. It provides urgent recommendations to the international community and the United Nations Human Rights Council, calling for:

• The provision of effective protection for these communities.
• An immediate halt to demolition policies and structural discrimination.
• The assurance of accountability for acts of violence committed against them.

Lawyers for Justice and Al-Baidar Organization call upon all human rights institutions, official bodies, and international entities to adopt the findings of this report and work seriously to end the policies of erasure and displacement, supporting the resilience of Bedouin communities on their land in accordance with the principles of justice and international law.

Lawyers for Justice

Ramallah – 2026