Israel to confiscate a thousand hectares of Palestinian land in West Bank
The Israeli army issued two edicts on 10 February to confiscate more than 10,000 dunums (1,000 hectares) of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank.
Referred to as “temporary military decisions", the army is targeting 8,734 dunums in the Tubas areas and 2,394 dunums in several villages east of Ramallah.
The text of the two orders stated that they were issued by Yossi Segal, the official responsible for government property and absentee property in the West Bank, to approve a temporary decision on government lands for the purpose of grazing.
Recently, Israeli settlers have seized large areas of land in the West Bank under the pretext of grazing their livestock. To impose de facto control, they release cows and sheep into the plains and mountains, control them, and prevent Palestinians from reaching them.
Pastoral settlement constitutes one of the most serious challenges to Palestinians looking to preserve their land.
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Najeh Rustom, mayor of Kafr Malek, east of Ramallah, told Middle East Eye that he had received a decision to confiscate at least 1,500 dunams of the town’s land.
He explained that these lands were used by the local community, which had cultivated various crops on them before the Israeli army shut off access to the land following the Hamas-led 7 October attack and the subsequent war on Gaza.
'Little by little, we became unable to reach this area, which was also inhabited by dozens of Bedouin families, but the settlers expelled them from it'
- Najeh Rustom, mayor of Kafr Malek
“Little by little, we became unable to reach this area, which was also inhabited by dozens of Bedouin families, but the settlers expelled them from it months ago with their attacks,” Rustom said.
One settler with some sheep and cows controls the area, as well as others in neighboring villages against which a confiscation order has been issued, such as Deir Jarir, Abu Falah, and al-Mughayer.
The Israeli army has protected settlers during their incursion into these lands and prevented Palestinians from getting there. An official confiscation decision was recently issued, initially under the pretext of grazing, but it is believed that the reason will be changed to another, such as the conversion of lands into a nature reserve or military zone.
“The settlers deprived us of our grazing and agricultural areas. We used to depend on livestock for our livelihood, but now we only graze them between our homes and many were forced to sell them due to the lack of pastures despite the vast areas they own,” Rustom explained.
Expanding settlers' control
The Palestinians believe that these confiscation decisions are merely a prelude to an accelerated annexation process, which Israel seeks to complete this year.
"Israel's decision to confiscate thousands of dunums comes as a continuation of its expansionist policies in this region, which has been subjected to a fierce settlement attack for years," activist Arif Daraghmeh, from Tubas, told MEE.
He said that 42 settlements and settlement outposts were now established in the Jordan Valley area, and that 83 percent of its area has come under Israeli control, whether in settlements, military areas, or pastoral areas.
“These lands, before a decision was issued to confiscate them, were closed to the Palestinians under various pretexts, and they meant complete control over the eastern regions of the northern Jordan Valley,” he said.
Four pastoral settlement outposts were established by settlers over the past two years on these lands, which indicates that the Israeli army is in harmony with the settlers’ desires to control any area.
“Israel handed over the settlement council in the West Bank to seize it without any deterrent. These lands will be a prelude to expanding the settlers’ control over all of the Jordan Valley,” he said.
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