Israel has expanded the use of an artificial intelligence tool to monitor Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, according to rights activists andhttps://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/17/israel-weaponises-ai-for-west-bank-demolitions
The tool, called ImiSight, was developed by Israeli weapons manufacturer Rafael. It scans large areas of land and flags changes on the ground.
Those flagged changes can then be used to justify demolitions of structures deemed unauthorized by Israeli authorities.
How the tool was first used
PalDigital reported in July that Israel first deployed ImiSight in the Naqab desert. There, it was used against Bedouin Palestinian citizens of Israel.
Many Bedouin communities live in villages that Israel does not officially recognize. Authorities issue few building permits in these areas.
Rights activists say this makes it nearly impossible for residents to build legally. They argue the policy pushes Bedouin communities off their land to make way for Jewish settlements.
When the AI tool identified what it flagged as unauthorized structures, bulldozers were sent in to demolish them, according to the report.
The tool's move to the West Bank
Israel has now brought the same surveillance approach to the occupied West Bank. Demolitions of Palestinian homes have occurred there for years, often citing building code violations.
Palestinians in the West Bank face similar permit barriers as Bedouin communities in the Naqab.
In April 2025, an Israel Land Authority enforcement unit was created specifically to operate in the West Bank.
The Israeli rights group Peace Now described the creation of this unit as a "step of annexation."
Peace Now said the agency, which manages land rights, uses "advanced technological tools, based on artificial intelligence, for detecting encroachments."
Amir Daoud, head of documentation and publication at the Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission, spoke to Al Jazeera about the development.
Daoud said the move represents a transfer of a surveillance and eviction model already tested against Palestinians in the Naqab.
"The political danger begins with establishing a district affiliated with the Israel Land Authority to operate inside the West Bank," Daoud told Al Jazeera.
He said this introduces an Israeli civilian government apparatus directly into occupied territory.
The expansion of AI surveillance in the West Bank follows broader use of AI systems by Israel's military.
In Gaza, AI systems have reportedly been used to help determine potential bombing targets during the war there.
That use of AI has been the subject of past reporting and was referenced in a recent documentary covering the war in Gaza.
The West Bank enforcement unit and its AI tools remain active as of this report, according to the cited sources.
