Hoopoe Network

The entity's Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, announced the confiscation of 24 thousand dunams after classifying them as state lands.

This announcement is a dramatic step, expected to impact regional planning and change the face of the region.

The mechanism is carried out by legalizing the lands by classifying them as “state lands,” after which the entity claims that these are “public lands that are not owned by anyone,” and then it becomes possible to establish settlement projects on them.

Ma'ale Adumim Expansion

The settlement of “Ma’ale Adumim” will be the biggest beneficiary of this move, with its expansion by an area of 2,600 dunams towards the south, which will create a settlement chain that reaches the settlement of “Kedar”.

The area known as “Area C” is considered one of the most sensitive areas due to the construction attempts carried out by Palestinians and Bedouins in the area.

The southern West Bank is the target

The settlement of “Migdal Oz” will double its area by adding 281 dunams, where 500 housing units will be built in the short term.

In the south of Hebron, the Susya settlement will expand its area by 109 dunams, and an educational building and industrial buildings will be built on it.

In the Jordan Valley, the settlement of “Yevit” will have the most significant expansion with an area of more than 20 thousand dunams, which represents enormous potential for the development of the central Jordan Valley region.

The biggest step since Oslo

The current move is one of the biggest in recent decades, since the Oslo Accords.

Until last year, only about 50,000 dunams were declared state land. 

This declaration represents nearly half of the land area declared since 1993.

Even before the official announcement, Palestinians and left-wing organizations tried to block the move on the grounds that it would thwart the possibility of establishing a future Palestinian state.

“At the right time, today we completed a complex process to declare 24,000 dunams of new state land in the West Bank,” Smotrich said.

“This process creates a settlement hierarchy, builds land reserves for Israel to develop settlements, infrastructure and roads, and guarantees that we will continue to strengthen settlements, and we are here to stay,” he added.