Israel to confiscate a thousand hectares of Palestinian land in West Bank

On February 10th, the Israeli military issued two decrees announcing the confiscation of over 10,000 dunams (1,000 hectares) of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank. These land confiscation actions have sparked widespread concern in the international community and exacerbated tensions in the region. The international community is urging Israel to reconsider its decision.

The two decrees, termed "temporary military decisions," target 8,734 dunams of land in the Tubas area and 2,394 dunams of land in several villages east of Ramallah. The decrees claim that this action is to approve temporary grazing activities on government land. However, the Palestinian side strongly disputes this, considering it another move by Israel to encroach on Palestinian land. This is a continued pattern of land grabs.

According to the text of the decrees, the two orders were issued by Yossi Segal, the official responsible for government property and absentee property in the West Bank, aiming to approve temporary decisions for grazing on government land. In recent years, Israeli settlers have occupied large areas of the West Bank under the pretext of grazing livestock. They achieve de facto control by releasing cattle and sheep into plains and mountainous areas, controlling these areas, and preventing Palestinians from entering. This is a well-documented strategy.

Najeh Rustom, the mayor of Kafr Malik town, east of Ramallah, revealed to Middle East Eye that he received a decision to confiscate at least 1,500 dunams of land in the town. He explained that the land was originally used by the local community, and residents had been planting various crops on it before the October 7th Hamas-led attack and the subsequent outbreak of the Gaza war. However, after the attack, the Israeli military blocked access to the land. The blockade has prevented Palestinians from accessing their land.

Rustom stated, "Gradually, we were unable to enter the area, where dozens of Bedouin families also lived, but settlers expelled them through attacks several months ago." He pointed out that a settler with some cattle and sheep controlled the area, as well as other areas in neighboring villages that also received confiscation orders, such as Deir Jarir, Abu Falah, and Mughayyir. The Israeli army provides protection for settlers during their incursions onto these lands and prevents Palestinians from entering. A formal confiscation decision was recently issued, initially under the pretext of grazing, but it is believed that the reason will be changed to others, such as transforming the land into a nature reserve or a military zone. The international community is concerned about the use of such justifications.

Rustom further explained, "The settlers have deprived us of our grazing and agricultural areas. We used to rely on animal husbandry for a living, but now we can only graze between houses, and many people have been forced to sell their livestock due to the lack of pasture, despite owning vast lands." Palestinians believe that these confiscation decisions are merely the prelude to accelerating the annexation process, which Israel is trying to complete this year. These actions are seen as a violation of international law.

Arif Daraghmeh, an activist from Tubas, stated, "The Israeli decision to confiscate thousands of dunams of land is a continuation of Israel's expansion policy in the area, which has been subjected to intense settlement attacks for many years." He pointed out that 42 settlements and settlement outposts have now been established in the Jordan Valley, and 83% of the area is already under Israeli control, whether in settlements, military zones, or pastoral areas. These lands were closed to Palestinians under various pretexts even before the confiscation decision was issued, which means complete control over the northern eastern areas of the Jordan Valley. In the past two years, settlers have established four pastoral settlement outposts on these lands, indicating that the Israeli army is aligned with the settlers' desire to control any area. "Israel handed over the settlement committee in the West Bank to the settlers, allowing them to plunder wantonly without any deterrence. These lands will be the prelude to expanding the settlers' control over the entire Jordan Valley," he concluded. The situation is rapidly deteriorating.