Israel approved the seizure of approximately 13 square kilometers of land in the West Bank yesterday, marking the largest confiscation in three decades, likely escalating tensions amidst the Israeli-Gaza conflict.
Meanwhile, five Palestinian youths were killed in separate military operations by the Israeli army in the cities of Tulkarm and Jenin in the northern West Bank.
Peace Now, an anti-settlement organization, stated yesterday that Israeli authorities had approved the seizure of 12.7 square kilometers of land in the Jordan Valley late last month. However, the decision was only announced yesterday, following the seizure of 8 square kilometers of West Bank land in March and 2.6 square kilometers in February.
Peace Now added that 2024 marks the peak year for Israeli land seizures in the West Bank.
The two adjacent areas are located northeast of Ramallah in the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority is situated.
The organization noted that the seizure was justified under the pretext of “state lands,” aiming to expand the increasing settlement project and restrict Palestinian access to these lands under the claim that they are now state-owned.
Furthermore, Israeli authorities plan to approve the construction of 5,300 settlement units in the West Bank, despite escalating international criticism.
The United Nations asserts that settlements in occupied territories are illegal, urging their cessation for decades, warning that they undermine prospects for a two-state solution (Palestinian and Israeli).
Israeli public broadcasting reported yesterday that “Israel’s Higher Planning Council in the West Bank (governmental) will convene to approve the construction of 5,300 settlement units across the West Bank.”
Finance Minister Tzachi Hanegbi was quoted saying, “We are developing settlements and thwarting the danger of establishing a Palestinian state.” Two days ago, Israeli forces killed “23-year-old Nidal Ziyad Al-Amer” in the nearby city of Jenin, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
An Israeli security source stated that Al-Amer “was killed during an attempt by the Israeli army to arrest him due to his military activity.” A child and a woman were also killed the day before yesterday in the northern West Bank during an incursion by the Israeli army into Nour Shams.
