Israel approves largest West Bank land seizure in 3 decades, likely escalating Gaza tensions
- Palestinians view expansion of settlements, mostly considered illegal internationally, in the occupied West Bank as the main barrier to lasting peace
An anti-settlement watchdog says Israel has approved the largest seizure of land in the occupied West Bank in over three decades.
The Israeli group Peace Now said on Wednesday that authorities recently approved the appropriation of 12.7 square kilometres (nearly 5 square miles) of land in the Jordan Valley. The group’s data indicate it was the largest single appropriation approved since the 1993 Oslo accords at the start of the peace process.
The land appropriation was likely to worsen already soaring tensions linked to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Violence has surged in the West Bank since the start of the war, with Israel carrying out near-daily military raids that often spark deadly gun battles with Palestinian militants.
The land seizure, which was approved late last month but only publicised on Wednesday, comes after the seizure of 8 square kilometres (roughly 3 square miles) of land in the West Bank in March and 2.6 square kilometres (1 square mile) in February.
That makes 2024 by far the peak year for Israeli land seizure in the West Bank, Peace Now said.
The parcels are contiguous and located northeast of the West Bank city of Ramallah, where the Western-backed Palestinian Authority is headquartered. By declaring them state lands, the Israeli government has opened them up to being leased to Israelis and prohibited private Palestinian ownership.
