Israel to Seize Palestinian Land for Settlement Expansion

Tulkarem, MINA – The Israeli military authorities notified Palestinian farmers on Tuesday that they intend to expropriate plots of land near the village of Shofeh, to the southeast of Tulkarm, in order to expand the nearby illegal settlement of Avnei Hefetz.

The farmers told WAFA that the Israeli military informed the Palestinian liaison office that it intends to expropriate land in the village of Shofeh in order to open roads and build playgrounds and other recreational facilities for the benefit of Avnei Hefetz settlement.

The farmers, who expressed real concern over the decision that would rip them of the land that is their only source of income, said they were given 60 days to appeal the decision at Israeli courts.

They said they have the papers to prove their ownership of the land even though they do not expect the Israeli courts to be fair to them.

The military seized village land in March to build a power station for the settlement and an industrial area.

In February 2017, the Israeli Knesset passed a controversial law that would legalize the expropriation of privately-owned Palestinian land for the benefit of the Israeli settlement enterprise in the occupied Palestinian territories. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)