Ramallah, MINA – In a new move to expand illegal settlements, the Israeli occupation authority has seized 800 dunums of Palestinian land east of Ramallah in the central West Bank.
The land grab, announced Wednesday by Israeli is part of the “Malachi Hashalom” area under the jurisdiction of the “Binyamin” settlement bloc. Israeli officials claim the move aims to create “settler geographic contiguity” and support “settlement infrastructure.”
This annexation is being carried out with the backing of far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has pledged to accelerate settlement expansion despite growing international condemnation.
The land seizure follows a wave of sanctions imposed just days ago by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Norway, and New Zealand against Smotrich and national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir over incitement to violence and human rights abuses against Palestinians.
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In response to the sanctions, Smotrich stated defiantly on X (formerly Twitter), “We are determined to continue building,” signaling ongoing support for settlement construction in occupied Palestinian territories.
The United Nations has repeatedly denounced Israeli settlements as violations of international law and significant barriers to achieving a two-state solution. Despite this, the Israeli government continues expanding its presence across the occupied West Bank.
According to the Israeli watchdog Peace Now, there are currently 156 illegal settlements and 224 outposts throughout the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, housing more than 736,000 Jewish settlers. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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