July 4, 2024

Middle East

Wall Street Journal -  [Isrrael] has declared a total of 9 square miles of the West Bank state land, according to an Israeli watchdog organization. That enables Israel to build new settlements and, in practice, prevents Palestinian access. The Palestinian Authority, which controls the West Bank, said that the seizures aim to dispossess Palestinians. Israeli authorities say that only land that isn’t privately held by Palestinians can be declared state land, but rights groups say that, practically speaking, many Palestinians have had land confiscated. The latest 5-square-mile seizure is within an Israel-administered area and adjoins Israeli settlements, according to the watchdog group. Palestinians say that settlement expansion threatens the creation of a future contiguous Palestinian state.

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