By Abdelraouf Arnaout
JERUSALEM (AA) – Israel seized 8 square kilometers (about 3 square miles) of land in the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank for the establishment of hundreds of settlement units, an Israeli media outlet reported on Friday.
“8,000 dunums (8 square kilometers) in the Jordan Valley have been allocated as Israeli lands for the construction of hundreds of residential units, in addition to an area designated for industry, commerce, and employment,” the Israel Broadcasting Authority stated.
It explained: “Planning the residential units in the area announced as state lands currently may take about a year, and it will require political-level approval.”
The authority quoted Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who signed the confiscation decision, as saying: “Issuing declarations on state lands is an important and strategic matter.”
He added: “This declaration will allow the continuation of building and strengthening the Jordan Valley. At a time when there are those who seek to undermine our rights in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) and the country in general, we are strengthening settlements through serious and strategic work throughout the country.”
Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations have pointed to a noticeable increase in settlement activity in the West Bank since the formation of Benjamin Netanyahu's government at the end of 2022.
According to Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission estimates, more than 720,000 Israelis reside in illegal settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
The international community agrees that settlements are “illegal” and constitute an obstacle to the implementation of the “two-state solution,” which calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel.
*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala