Israeli Government Tells High Court It Will Keep Barring Return of 33,000 Displaced Palestinians to Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur al-Shams Camps

In a filing made public Wednesday, August 26, 2026, the Israeli government told the High Court of Justice that the IDF continues to oppose allowing residents to return to the Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur al-Shams refugee camps in the northern West Bank, which the military entirely cleared during counter-terror operations beginning in January 2025 (Operation Iron Wall). The government's response, filed after a petition by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, argued the operations had significantly improved security for nearby settlers and that the IDF must maintain a long-term presence because it assesses armed Palestinian groups would resume operating in the camps if forces withdrew. UN data cited in the filing shows more than 33,000 Palestinians remain displaced from the three camps, dependent on humanitarian aid.