Israel approves major land seizure in West Bank

Israel's government has approved a significant land seizure in the occupied West Bank, the largest since the 1993 Oslo Accords, according to the Israeli rights group Peace Now.

As per CNN, the Civil Administration, part of the Israeli military, issued a declaration on June 25, converting 1,270 hectares (3,138 acres) near Jericho in the Jordan Valley into state land, with the official notice was posted on Wednesday.

Peace Now, which monitors Israeli settlement expansion, criticized the move, stating it hinders the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

However, this declaration adds to a series of land seizures this year, making 2024 the biggest year for such actions since 1993, based on Peace Now's data.

Declaring land as state property is a primary method for Israel to control the occupied territories, meaning the land is no longer recognized as privately owned by Palestinians.

In addition to the land seizure, Israel's Higher Planning Council announced plans on Monday to approve thousands of new housing units in Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also has significant control over civilian matters in the West Bank, celebrated the move on X (formerly Twitter), stating, "Building the good country and thwarting the establishment of a Palestinian state."

Smotrich has previously spoken about preventing the West Bank from becoming part of an independent Palestinian state.

Israel also faced condemnation after announcing plans to legally recognize five unauthorized Jewish settlements in the West Bank.