The World Zionist Organization (WZO) halted land transactions in the Aleph neighbourhood of Beit El after it emerged that some 250 buildings there were constructed illegally, and fraud was suspected.

Northeast of Beit El is the Ma'ayanot Qara Nature Reserve, so named on account of its proximity to the nearby village of Dura al-Qara'.

The nature reserve is a habitat for Hedera helix ivy, not known anywhere else between the region of Edom to the south and the Galilee to the north, as well as Teucrium montbretii, which grows only in the vicinity of Ramallah.

[2] While the government declared that requisition of the land was temporary, in the Beit El case of 1978 the Israeli High Court approved the settlement for reasons of "general security".

In July 2015, the IDF demolished two buildings built illegally on Palestinian land, as found by the Israeli High Court.

[16] Beit El is located on a non-contiguous area, but according to a Yesh Din petition, the neighborhoods are connected by illegal construction.

[19] A secret database published by Haaretz in 2009 revealed that Beit El was largely built on private Palestinian lands, without approval.

[22] End of June, 33 families left the apartments,[23] but despite earlier rulings and promises, in November 2012 the High Court again granted the State a delay regarding demolishing of the buildings.

[30] In 2003, apartment buildings were constructed by the Company for the Development of Beit El's Yeshiva Complex (CEO Yoel Tzur)[4] and Amana.

[30][31] All structures in Ulpana, including public buildings, permanent homes, caravans and an industrial area, were built on private Palestinian land and without an approved plan.

It was built on the outskirts of Beit El with funding from the Ministry of Housing and Construction, and the homeowners received state grants and bank mortgages.

[30] On 29 October 2008, villagers of Dura al-Qar, assisted by Yesh Din, submitted a petition against the construction of caravans and 5 of the 14 apartment buildings in Ulpana, claiming they were built on private and registered Palestinian land outside of the area of the original Beit El settlement and without any plan.

[4][37] Although only some 30 families were evicted,[32] the Defense Ministry approved in February 2013 the building of 90 new homes, to house the Ulpana inhabitants on the land originally seized for "temporarily" military use.

[24][38] The 90 housing units were part of a 300 homes plan, earlier approved by the government in return for non-violent evacuation from Ulpana.

[39][40] In May 2013, just during new US shuttle diplomacy to revive the peace process, the Civil Administration approved 296 homes to build, allegedly also to be compensation for Israelis who were evicted from Ulpana.

They also asked to prohibit the Palestinians to turn to any organization, including government authorities, to request further reparations, as it could hamper the continued development of Beit El.

[4] Beit El has a large percentage of immigrants from other countries, like India, Peru, Ethiopia and Russia and is also home to a unique community of Bnei Menashe from Manipur and Mizoram.

[49][50] In November 2019, the Trump Administration reversed long-standing U.S. policy and determined that settlements such as Biet El do not violate international law.