The Israeli settlement of Esh Kodesh has served as a launchpad for a yearslong campaign of violence against nearby Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank.
Settlers first established it in 2000 as an outpost, illegal under both Israeli and international law. It grew from a collection of makeshift dwellings and mobile homes to a sprawling site.
As it grew, that violence got worse.
For years the state quietly supported its expansion, until December 2025, when the Israeli government retroactively legalized it. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich – a key figure pushing Israeli annexation of the West Bank – celebrated with the settlement’s residents.
Since then, violent attacks on the neighboring Palestinian villages of Qusra and Jalud have only escalated, sometimes with the overt backing of the Israeli military.
After Esh Kodesh’s legalization, settlers establish several new illegal outposts nearby.
