WEST BANK, (The Palestinian Information Center) The Israeli occupation authorities have issued a decision to confiscate 455.58 dunums of the Tell village lands, west of Nablus in the northern West Bank, and the villages of Far’ata and Jit, east of Qalqilya Governorate in the northern West Bank.
According to a statement by the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, the new declaration of land seizure was made under the label of “state land,” a designation frequently used by Israel to take control of and expropriate more Palestinian land.
The Commission explained that this new declaration targets the area where the illegal outpost “Havat Gilad” was established in 2003 on lands belonging to the villages of Jit, Far’ata, and Tell. The Israeli government had previously announced plans to legalize this outpost.
This move is expected to double the size of Havat Gilad and turn it into a formally recognized settlement.
Settlement expert Khalil Tufakji said that Israel has recently issued several decisions to confiscate land in the West Bank under the pretext that it is “state land,” as reported by Al Jazeera Net.
He added that this falls within a clear Israeli policy aimed at converting vast areas into “state land,” which is then reallocated for pastoral settlement or the establishment of new outposts.
Tufakji further explained that Israel uses this classification in efforts to expel Palestinians, especially Bedouin communities, as has occurred in Deir Ammar and Bir Ayoub west of Ramallah.
According to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, the total amount of Palestinian land seized by Israel since the beginning of 2023 has now surpassed 26,000 dunums, through 13 announcements labeled as “state land.”
In a new report today, the Commission revealed that since early August, settlers have attempted to establish 18 new outposts, most of them for agricultural and grazing purposes.
Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation authorities have seized 45 dunums of Palestinian land via four military orders for “security purposes” in the northern West Bank. These are intended to create buffer zones around settlements, open settlement roads, and establish military posts.
Tufakji stated that Israel relies on military seizure orders renewed every five years, which effectively turn temporary control into permanent occupation, taking advantage of its self-declared status as the successor of Jordanian state property in the West Bank.
The settlement expert emphasized that Israel is currently accelerating efforts to entrench a de facto annexation policy in the West Bank by controlling as much land as possible with minimal Palestinian population presence, a strategic approach that is expanding significantly at this time.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir recently stated that what is happening now represents the consolidation of Israel’s control over the West Bank, affirming that all these actions have been blessed by US President Donald Trump.
