Where the high hills of the occupied West Bank tumble into the Jordan valley, half a dozen heavy Israeli diggers pound the ancient rocks around the Palestinian village of Bardala.

In recent weeks, Israeli flags have sprouted on hilltops claimed by some settlers in the West Bank's Jordan Valley, adding to worries among many local Palestinians of greater control of those areas. Some settlers prayed for Trump's victory before the election.

Israel’s new defense minister has said security forces would no longer apply administrative detention orders to Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, and thus only Palestinian suspects can be held indefinitely without trial.

STORY: The Israeli settlement of Shilo is perched in the highlands of the occupied West Bank. Jewish settlements such as Shilo have recently seen rapid expansion onto land claimed by Palestinians.And Jewish settlers are optimistic that incoming U.

These measures part of larger plan to implement ‘spatial division’ of West Bank, facilitating expansion of Israeli settlements, says Foreign Ministry - Anadolu Ajansı

Israeli settlers in the West Bank are optimistic about President-elect Donald Trump's support for annexing the territory. During his previous term, Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and acknowledged Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights,