Khirbet al-Marājim (Arabic: خربة المراجم), also spelled Khirbet al-Marājem or Khirbet al-Marjama, is a small Palestinian community located south of Nablus in the northern West Bank. The hamlet lies in the area classified as Area C under Israeli control.
The community is documented in mapping and rights-monitoring projects including those of Bimkom, PHTrail, and others focused on the plight of Palestinian localities denied recognition by he Israeli occupation.
The village is inhabited by residents from Talfit, Nablus.
Location & Coordinates Bimkom's “Mobile Pastoralist Communities” database locates Khirbet al-Marājim among small hamlets in Area C of the Nablus governorate, under the grid index used for West Bank planning documents. According to the same database and overlay-map layers, the approximate geographic coordinates are 32.2340° N latitude, 35.2350° E longitude.
Administrative status The Israeli civilian occupation authorities deny Khirbet al-Marājim recognition, making nearly all structures subject to demolition orders. According to Bimkom, this lack of recognition leads to restricted access to basic services and infrastructure.
Demolitions & Displacement According to Land Research Center (LRC), in 2024 a house in Khirbet al-Marājim was demolished and its occupants displaced — part of a broader pattern of forced displacement of Palestinian communities in Area C. More broadly, humanitarian reporting by UN OCHA documents a sharp increase in demolitions in 2025 across the West Bank, with nearly 900 Palestinians displaced so far this year due to lack of Israeli-issued building permits — a trend that affects hamlets such as Khirbet al-Marājim.
Settler violence Khirbet al-Marājim has suffered violent attacks by Israeli settlers. On 14 March 2025, armed settlers attacked the hamlet, burning six homes and a vehicle, and injuring residents. Photographic evidence of destruction and resident displacement from these incidents has been published by the group ActiveStills.
Living conditions & Humanitarian context Because the hamlet lacks planning approval, residents of Khirbet al-Marājim have no formal access to basic infrastructure (water networks, electricity, paved roads), relying instead on rain-fed cisterns, occasional water deliveries, generator or solar for electricity, and unpaved tracks.
According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), recent campaigns of demolitions, forced displacement, and systematic restrictions on Palestinian communities in the West Bank — including Area C hamlets — amount to practices that may violate international humanitarian and human rights law. While Khirbet al-Marājim is not always named explicitly, its circumstances mirror those described in HRW's 2025 report on forced displacement policies.https://www.hrw.org/report/2025/11/20/all-my-dreams-have-been-erased/israels-forced-displacement-of-palestinians-in-khirbet-al-marajim
Recent developments On April 4, 2016, Jamal al-Taweel and Hisham al-Jabrawi's 2 homes at Khirbet al-Marajim near Duma were demolished.'Israeli forces demolish 4 Palestinian homes built without permits', Ma'an News Agency 4 April 2016. On August 10 of the same year, village resident Moussa Muhammad Salman, an 85-year-old man, died after being run over by a motorbike, reportedly driven by an Israeli settler. In incident, which took place while, astride a donkey, he was herding his flock of sheep, occurred near Khirbet al-Marajim. His donkey was also killed.'Palestinian dies after being run over by Israeli settler in Nablus in unclear circumstances', Ma'an News Agency 10 August 2016. A week later, Israeli bulldozers razed a one-room structure owned by Tariq Dirawi in Khirbet al-Marajim.'Israeli forces demolish Palestinian-owned structures in Nablus', Ma'an News Agency 17 August 2016.
In 2025, increased demolition activity as reported by UN OCHA has affected dozens of West Bank communities. A documented settler attack in March 2025, with burning of homes, has drawn media and rights-group attention.
On 23 March 2026, the Civil Administration’s Archaeology Unit (KAMAT) demolished a Palestinian home at Khirbet al-Marajim. The structure stood at the edge of an archaeological site. An expert report submitted by Emek Shaveh argued that the house lay on the site’s margins and posed no threat to archaeological remains, noting that the residents had long inhabited the area without damaging its antiquities. The objection was rejected, and the house was subsequently demolished.
Khirbet al-Marajim has also been subjected to sustained settler violence. Several outposts established by settler Eliav Libi—Michtam Le’David, Giborei David, Gal Yosef, and Malachei HaShalom—surround the community. In March 2025, settlers reportedly set fire to a house and several vehicles. During early 2026, residents and accompanying activists documented repeated incursions, harassment, vandalism, and occasional assaults, often in the presence or with the support of Israeli soldiers.
From 2 March 2026, the area was declared a closed military zone, preventing activists from entering while settlers continued to access the site.
See also Area C Israeli settlement Human rights in the State of Palestine
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