Israel faced criticism Tuesday for what was being described as the biggest appropriation of West Bank land in some 30 years.
The military’s Civil Administration on Sunday declared as “state land” 4,000 dunams (about 400 hectares) of territory south of Jerusalem.
It said it acted on the instructions of the government. Israel Radio said the move was preparation for future expansion of the Gush Etzion settlement bloc.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon voiced “alarm” at the announcement.
“The seizure of such a large swathe of land risks paving the way for further settlement activity,” which is considered illegal under international law, he said.
Ban called on Israel to “heed the calls of the international community” to refrain from settlement activity, which runs counter to the pursuit of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The US State Department, Britain, France, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority earlier also condemned the move.
The land contains the settlement outpost of Gva’ot, which currently houses a seminary and about 10 families.
“As far as we know, this declaration is unprecedented in its scope since the 1980s,” the Israeli Peace Now settlement watchdog said.
The decision came days after Israel and Hamas militants agreed to a ceasefire, ending nearly two months of fighting in the Gaza Strip.
Israel Radio said it was a response to the abduction and slaying of three Israeli teenagers in June.
Israel’s right-wing, pro-settlement economy minister, Naftali Bennett, toured the Gush Etzion settlement bloc Sunday and praised the move, calling it a “Zionists answer to Arab terrorism.”
But chief negotiator and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni criticized it, warning that it harms Israeli security and weakens its international position.
“The US and even Palestinians already understand that large settlement blocs such as Gush Etzion will become part of Israel under a future peace deal,” she told Israel Radio, warning the move only “creates new controversy.”
GNA
PDC
