Israel's government has recently approved a significant land seizure in the occupied West Bank, marking the largest such action since the 1993 Oslo Accords aimed at establishing peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The Israeli rights group Peace Now reported that the Israeli military's Civil Administration department issued a declaration on June 25, designating a 1,270-hectare (3,138-acre) area in the Jordan Valley near Jericho as state land.
Peace Now, which monitors illegal Israeli settlement expansion, criticized the move, stating that it further complicates the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. The group highlighted that this year has seen a surge in Israeli land seizures in the Palestinian territory, with the latest declaration being part of a series of similar actions.
Declaring land as state property is a key method through which Israel asserts control over the occupied territories, as it no longer recognizes the land as privately owned by Palestinians once it is designated as state land. The spokesperson for Israel's Civil Administration has been contacted for comment on this claim by Peace Now.
In a separate development, Israel's Higher Planning Council announced plans to approve thousands of new housing units in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also oversees civilian matters in the occupied West Bank, expressed support for the move, emphasizing the prevention of the region from becoming part of an independent Palestinian state.
Smotrich's leaked audio from a speech in June revealed his stance on thwarting the establishment of a Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank. Additionally, Israel faced criticism after announcing intentions to legally recognize five unauthorized Jewish settlements in the region.
