Settler Brothers Drive West Bank Outpost Surge With State Backing
Israeli brothers Eliav and Harel Libi are expanding illegal West Bank outposts with government support, accelerating land seizures and rising settler violence.
A family-run Israeli construction business is playing a central role in a rapid expansion of unauthorised Jewish outposts across the West Bank, according to an examination of the firm's operations. Libi Construction and Infrastructure, owned by brothers Eliav and Harel 'Coco' Libi, is producing prefabricated buildings used to establish new farming settlements on land claimed by Palestinians.
The company is building a new factory at its compound in the Shilo settlement, which already contains at least five warehouses and stacks of building materials. The brothers have helped establish at least nine new farming outposts since the 2023 Hamas attacks and the start of the Gaza war.
These outposts typically begin with one or two prefabricated houses and no legal approval, occupied by young Israeli herders who graze livestock on land traditionally used by Palestinian shepherds and farmers. While all Israeli settlements face widespread international condemnation, such outposts are illegal even under Israeli law, which requires advance government approval for construction in areas under Israeli administrative control.
The expansion has accelerated dramatically in recent years. Peace Now, an Israeli human rights group, reports that settlers built 184 unauthorised outposts in the three years ending 2025 — nearly as many as in the previous three decades. Together, these outposts now cover nearly a fifth of West Bank territory, almost all seized since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's current government took office.
The Libis receive significant state support despite the outposts' illegal status. Government records show they obtained a factory license, grazing permits and an agricultural grant. The Defence Ministry has contracted the brothers for work including demolitions in Gaza. Cabinet ministers, including Defence Minister Israel Katz, have met with Eliav Libi to discuss his activities.
The government has also approved $1.3 million in funding for an organisation with previously undisclosed close ties to the Libis. At least three outposts the brothers built have been formally recognised by the government, allowing them to develop into larger settlements.
Settler violence has surged alongside the outpost expansion. UN data shows at least 16 Palestinians were killed in settler attacks last year, with more than 1,100 injured. Attacks have escalated further this year, with 23 Palestinians killed through August. A UN inquiry in June said Israeli forces routinely shield such violence, sometimes accompanying settlers during attacks on Palestinian villages.
The Libis declined to comment beyond confirming their defence contracting work. In a statement, the company dismissed the reporting as based on "false claims" promoting a "radical political agenda," insisting it operates lawfully and treats all people equally. However, in an August podcast, Eliav Libi said the company avoids hiring Palestinians, describing them as "the enemy."
The military denied formal relations with the brothers but said it coordinates with unregulated farm outposts to safeguard security. Netanyahu has praised the outposts as "preparing the ground for a very great immigration" of Israelis to the West Bank, saying 160 new farm outposts had been built with "more on the way."