Israel Herald
01 Sep 2014, 13:12 GMT+10
TEL AVIV, Israel - Israel on Sunday announced that it was appropriating what one anti-settlement group has said is the largest chunk of land in the occupied West Bank in 30 years, just days after signing a ceasefire with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military-run Civil Administration said, via an announcement on Israel Radio, that it was declaring 400 hectares of land in the Etzion settlement bloc near Bethlehem "state land, on the instructions of the political echelon".
According to reports on Israel Radio, the development is in response to the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teenagers which took place prior to the conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, during which more than 2,000 people were killed, according to the UN most of them civilian.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has reported that 2,104 people were killed in Gaza, of which 1,462 were civilians, among them 495 children and 253 women.
The figures are disputed by Tel Aviv, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week insisting that only 52% of those killed were civilians.
Peace Now, an NGO that opposes Israeli settlement activities in the West Bank, told the Associated Press the appropriation was intended to turn an area where 10 families now live adjacent to a Jewish seminary into a permanent settlement.
Long-standing plans for the area by Israel suggest it may soon be home to more than 1,000 Israeli families. Last year, Tel Aviv invited bids for the building of more than 1,000 homes on the now-appropriated land.
The land seizure is the largest by Israel since the 1980s, Peace Now has said. Israel's settlement activities have attracted widespread international criticism and they are not recognised by international law as they take land that is meant to form an independent Palestinian state in future peace talks.
A spokesperson for the Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, called on Israel to cancel the settlement plans, insisting that it will inflame tensions after the Gaza conflict and lead to more instability.
Get a daily dose of Israel Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Israel Herald.
More InformationTALLAHASSEE, Florida: The Florida Lottery said this week that the second-largest lottery winner in U.S. history has come forward to ...
LONDON, UK: This week, the Global Financial Centers index showed that New York remains the world's leading financial center, with ...
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan: In a significant milestone for its defense capabilities, Taiwan has unveiled its first domestically developed submarine. Although it ...
HONIARA, Solomon Islands: Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare revealed that he opted out of a Pacific Islands leaders' summit at the ...
SACRAMENTO, California: Intending to raise some US$160 million per year to help prevent gun violence, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed ...
MANILA, The Philippines: The Philippines remains steadfast in its resolve not to yield to Chinese efforts to obstruct its fishermen ...
SACRAMENTO, California: Fast food workers will now receive $20 per hour in California, after the governor signed a fast food ...
BEIJING, China: In a deal worth US$10 billion at list prices this week, state-owned carrier China Eastern Airlines announced that ...
BEIJING, China: This week, China Evergrande Group said its founder and chairman, Hui Ka Yan, is being investigated over suspected ...
RIVERSIDE COUNTY, California: In his opening statement this week in the first U.S. trial over allegations that a car autopilot ...
SEATTLE, Washington: As part of Washington's efforts to stop Big Tech from monopolizing the most lucrative parts of the internet, ...
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia: As part of Riyadh's efforts to further Saudi Arabia's electrification drive, electric vehicle (EV) maker Lucid announced ...