Settlers display Israeli flags in West Bank as part of visual colonisation

A spokesperson for the Palestinian advocacy group Al‑Quds Research Center said on Tuesday that Israel’s “visual colonisation” strategy is intended to make Palestinians feel like guests in their own homeland. The comment was made during a press briefing in Ramallah, where the group cited recent changes to road signage, map labeling and public space design in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as evidence of a coordinated effort to reshape the visual environment in favor of Israeli narratives.

According to the organization, the installation of Hebrew‑language signs on streets historically known by Arabic names, the removal of Palestinian cultural markers, and the promotion of Israeli settlement imagery in tourism materials are examples of this approach. Officials from the Israeli Ministry of Tourism declined to comment on the specific allegations, while Israeli settlement representatives described the changes as routine administrative updates. International observers noted that similar visual modifications have been documented in other contested territories, and the issue is expected to feature in upcoming discussions at the United Nations Human Rights Council.