Middle East - Israel declares large area in the West Bank state land
Israel's Civil Administration declared approximately 1270 hectares (almost 13 square kilometers) in the West Bank as Israeli state land. This is the largest land take since the Oslo Peace Accords, which Israelis and Palestinians signed in 1993. The corresponding decree for the seizure of the land had already been signed by the responsible Israeli government authority in the West Bank in June but was only made public today.
A total of 2370 hectares (nearly 24 square kilometers) have been declared as state land this year. "The declaration of state land is one of the most significant methods Israel uses to assert control over land in the occupied territories. Land that has been declared as state land is no longer considered private Palestinian property in the eyes of Israel. They are prevented from using it. Israel only leases state land to Israelis," Peace Now stated. A large part of the area was reportedly designated as a nature reserve prior to this.
Israeli media reported that Israeli settlers in the West Bank attacked Israeli security forces, destroying provisional structures on private Palestinian land and dismantling an illegal settlement outpost. They reportedly threw Molotov cocktails at the security forces and set a vehicle on fire in protest of the eviction. They also smashed the windshield of a car belonging to a Civil Administration employee. The eviction of the outpost had been approved by the Israeli government. Around 70 border policemen were involved in the operation.
Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the Six-Day War in 1967. Today, there are around three million Palestinians and 700,000 Israeli settlers living among them. In 1993, according to Peace Now, there were still only 250,000 Israeli settlers. Israel distinguishes between settlements that were established with government approval and "wild settlements," some of which are retrospectively legalized through legislation. However, from an international perspective, all settlements are considered illegal.
Israel's right-wing religious leadership is pushing forward with settlement building despite international criticism. According to the Israeli human rights organization Peace Now, as many new Israeli housing units have been approved in the occupied West Bank since the government took office at the end of 2022 as never before since the organization began recording the data in 2012. 2024 is expected to be a record year for land seizures.
- The announcement of the land seizure in the West Bank has drawn criticism from human rights organizations in the Middle East, with Ramallah expressing concerns over potential violations of Palestinian territories' human rights.
- The Israeli government's latest land seizure in the West Bank, amounting to approximately 1270 hectares, is located near major cities like Tel Aviv and could exacerbate conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians in the region.
- The Israeli-Palestinian conflict over land seizure in the West Bank has been a contentious issue for decades, with many Palestinian organizations arguing that it infringes upon their right to self-determination and violates international law.
- In response to Israel's land seizure in the West Bank, numerous human rights organizations have called for international sanctions against Tel Aviv, arguing that Israel's actions are detrimental to peace and stability in the Middle East.
