Amidst heightened regional tensions and the arrival of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv, the Israeli government has declared 800 hectares (1,977 acres) of West Bank territory as state land. This move, as announced by Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Friday, represents the largest land seizure since the signing of the 1993 Oslo accords, according to settlement watchdog group Peace Now.
“While there are those in Israel and the world who seek to undermine our right over the Judea and Samaria area and the country in general,” Smotrich said, underscoring a commitment to settlement expansion “through hard work and in a strategic manner all over the country.” The announcement coincided with high-level discussions between Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the ongoing war in Gaza.
The land appropriated encompasses parcels in the strategic Jordan Valley and near the settlements of Maale Adumim and Keidar. The move has been criticized for undermining the viability of a two-state solution, particularly regarding the prospect of a contiguous Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. “If Israel confiscates land around Jerusalem, all the way to the Dead Sea, there will be no future for a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem,” said Hamza Zubiedat, a land rights activist.
Israeli settlements in the West Bank are viewed as illegal under international law, a stance reinforced by recent comments from UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk, who labeled such settlements as a war crime. Yet, Israeli authorities have, over the years, leveraged land orders like the recent one to exert control over significant portions of Palestinian-administered land.
The move has sparked outrage among Palestinian officials, with the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs calling it a “crime” and an acceleration of annexation efforts that threaten the creation of a Palestinian state. The ministry also criticized the international community, implying that inaction amounts to complicity.
B’Tselem, an Israeli rights group, notes that more than 40 percent of the West Bank is under settler control and that incentive programs have encouraged Jewish residents to move into these settlements, displacing Palestinian inhabitants. Consequently, more than half a million Jewish residents now live in over 200 settlements and outposts, disrupting the territorial continuity necessary for a viable Palestinian state.
While the land transfer has drawn international criticism, it underscores the current Israeli government’s resolve to cement Jewish presence in contested territories. Smotrich’s actions, deemed provocative by some analysts, reflect his ideological commitment to the settlement movement, intensifying an already volatile situation in the region. The broader implications of this seizure on Israeli-Palestinian relations and the quest for peace remain to be seen as diplomatic efforts to address the multifaceted Middle East conflict continue.
Relevant articles:
– Israel Announces Largest West Bank Land Seizure Since 1993
– Israel seizes 800 hectares of Palestinian land in occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera English, Fri, 22 Mar 2024 21:32:04 GMT
– Israel unveils big West Bank land seizure as Blinken visits, FRANCE 24 English, Fri, 22 Mar 2024 15:59:08 GMT
– Israel announces seizure of 800 hectares in West Bank – DW – 03, DW (English), Sat, 23 Mar 2024 06:28:57 GMT