Israel deploys AI tool ImiSight to accelerate West Bank home demolitions
Israel is using the AI-driven surveillance system ImiSight, created by Rafael, to identify and raze Palestinian structures in the occupied West Bank.
Israel has extended the use of ImiSight, an artificial-intelligence surveillance product from Rafael, from the Naqab desert to the occupied West Bank, where it assists the Israel Land Authority in pinpointing structures deemed illegal. By processing satellite images directly in space, the system quickly identifies changes on the ground and feeds the data to demolition crews, bypassing traditional human review. Rights organizations such as Peace Now and the Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission argue the tool acts as a "force multiplier" that accelerates forced evictions and supports settlement growth.
The Israeli government established a dedicated Israel Land Authority unit in April 2025 to operate the AI system in Area C and East Jerusalem, regions under full Israeli control. Between 2023 and 2025, demolitions in these areas rose 80 percent, with 1,288 Palestinian buildings destroyed from January to September 2025 alone. Critics also note that substantial funding has been allocated to settler patrols and outpost equipment, further embedding the technology in the occupation’s infrastructure.
Why it matters
AI-driven demolitions raise ethical concerns and could reshape how occupied territories are policed and displaced.
How this story developed
- Sep 1 EU debates ban on settlement products as Israeli forces raze West Bank homes
- Sep 5 U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited Turmus Ayya, a West Bank town plagued by settler violence, and met with local residents including families of American victims.
- Sep 5 The ambassador urged Israeli authorities to guarantee security for the West Bank population.
- Sep 5 EU foreign ministers convened in Ireland to discuss a ban on products from West Bank settlements.
- Sep 7 Ed Miliband said Britain would ban goods from West Bank settlements and sanction firms supporting settlement expansion, citing evidence of war crimes and the need for a two-state solution. Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis warned the policy could increase anti-Semitic attacks on the UK Jewish community. Conservative minister Kemi Badenoch and other Tory leaders accused Labour of political posturing that could strain relations with Israel and the United States.
- Sep 7 Ed Miliband indicated the UK will announce the settlement trade ban this week.
- Sep 9 UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese called the UK settlement trade ban a tentative step and urged broader sanctions.
- Sep 9 The sanctions were announced immediately before the start of Rosh Hashanah.
- Sep 9 Israel closed the British consulate in East Jerusalem and barred twelve British nationals after the UK’s settlement trade ban.
- Sep 9 Eight Arab and Muslim states publicly praised the United Kingdom’s ban on settlement products.
- Sep 10 Israeli opposition parties offered no substantive response to the UK sanctions.
- Sep 12 Eisenkot’s Yashar party entered the race with a poll showing 23 projected seats.
- Sep 13 US activists created a whistle‑blower hotline and warned firms could be targeted under anti‑BDS laws.
- Sep 14 British foreign secretary expected to announce a trade ban on settlement‑linked goods.
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