[News] 'Israel' approved largest West Bank land seizure in over 30 years

[Anti-Imperialist News]

english.almayadeen.net
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/-israel--approved-largest-west-bank-land-seizure-in-over-30>
'Israel' approved largest West Bank land seizure in over 30 years
Al Mayadeen English
July 3, 2024
------------------------------

The usurped pieces of land are located northeast of Ramallah, occupied West
Bank.
[image: e0fbe742-3fef-48ec-808f-99cfe2ca7c48.jpg]

   - New housing units seen in an occupied West Bank Israeli settlement, on
   June 18, 2023 (*AP*)

The largest seizure of land in the occupied West Bank in more than three
decades has been just approved by "Israel", according to anti-settlement
watchdog Peace Now, which could further exacerbate tensions already on the
rise since the Israeli genocide on Gaza started on October 7.

The approved seizure involves 12.7 square kilometers (nearly 5 square
miles) of land in the Jordan Valley. This, according to the group's
research, constitutes the largest single seizure approved since the 1993
Oslo Accords

Following the seizure of 8 square kilometers (about 3 square miles) of land
in the occupied West Bank in March and 2.6 square kilometers (1 square
mile) in February, today's land seizure was approved late last month but
was only made public on Wednesday.

The contiguous settlements are situated northeast of Ramallah, and the
occupation has classified them as "state lands", meaning that Palestinians
cannot own them and they can only be leased to Israelis.

*Read next: Police, settlers clash over settlement outposts amid int'l
scrutiny
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/police--settlers-clash-over-settlement-outposts-amid-int-l-s>*
Police, settlers clash over settlement outposts amid int'l scrutiny

Israeli police repeatedly clashed with settlers in the occupied West Bank
while dismantling an unauthorized settler outpost early on Wednesday,
according to video footage reviewed by *Reuters*.

The video showed police using excavators to demolish makeshift structures
at the outpost. Settlers attempted to block police access by sitting across
a road, but officers removed them forcibly, as depicted in the video.

This is happening as "Israel" faces international pressure to restrict
settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. The outpost, located in a
rural region, violates both Israeli and international laws.
Occupation and pettiness

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich revealed late Thursday that the
Security Cabinet has approved the authorization of five West Bank
settlement outposts
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/-israel--greenlights-west-bank-settlement-outposts--sanction>
and the imposition of additional sanctions on the Palestinian Authority.

Smotrich mentioned that the five outposts are Evyatar, Givat Assaf, Sde
Efraim, Heletz, and Adorayim.

The announcement followed a break in the security cabinet's meeting during
which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu consulted with advisors due to
concerns that the approvals might escalate tensions with the United States.

"The Security Cabinet authorized one outpost for every country that
unilaterally recognized Palestine as a state in the last month," Smotrich
pointed out.

It is worth noting that the occupied West Bank
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-settlements-in-west-bank-hinder-palestinian-statehoo>
was divided into three administrative sections under the 1993 Oslo Accords,
with Area A managed by the Palestinian Authority, Area B under alleged
shared sovereignty, and Area C – the largest area, accounting for around
60% of the occupied Palestinian territories – under full Israeli
administrative and security control.
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