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West Bank Land Grab: Israel Expands 1984 'State Land' Zone by 44 Acres
(MENAFN) Israeli authorities have expanded the boundaries of a decades-old "state land" declaration in the occupied West Bank, incorporating close to 194 dunams (48 acres) of Palestinian territory near the villages of Jalud and Al-Mughayyir, according to a Palestinian government body that tracks such moves.
The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission reported Tuesday that Israel's so-called "Blue Line Team" signed off on folding 193.93 dunams (47.9 acres) into a declaration first issued back in 1984.
Under the revised boundaries, 15.07 dunams (3.72 acres) were dropped from the original zone, while 1,433.85 dunams (354 acres) stayed untouched — leaving a net gain of roughly 179 dunams (44 acres), the commission said.
While the reclassification doesn't immediately expand any settlement's formal jurisdiction, it clears the way for the newly added land to be considered for future planning or allocation.
Jalud sits southeast of Nablus, and Al-Mughayyir lies northeast of Ramallah — both in a region the commission describes as facing relentless settlement and outpost growth, alongside mounting restrictions on farming and grazing land.
According to the commission, the boundary shift fits into a wider pattern in which Israeli authorities use a mix of legal and administrative tools — "state land" and "government property" declarations, confiscation and expropriation orders, and adjustments to settlement jurisdiction lines — to extend control over Palestinian territory.
This isn't an isolated case: in August, the commission disclosed that Israeli authorities had classified about 1,152 dunams (284 acres) belonging to Sinjil, Al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya and Qaryut as "government property," a move tied to expanding the Karmei Oz settlement and linking settlements and outposts across the stretch between northern Ramallah and southern Nablus.
Under international law, Israeli settlements built in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal.
The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission reported Tuesday that Israel's so-called "Blue Line Team" signed off on folding 193.93 dunams (47.9 acres) into a declaration first issued back in 1984.
Under the revised boundaries, 15.07 dunams (3.72 acres) were dropped from the original zone, while 1,433.85 dunams (354 acres) stayed untouched — leaving a net gain of roughly 179 dunams (44 acres), the commission said.
While the reclassification doesn't immediately expand any settlement's formal jurisdiction, it clears the way for the newly added land to be considered for future planning or allocation.
Jalud sits southeast of Nablus, and Al-Mughayyir lies northeast of Ramallah — both in a region the commission describes as facing relentless settlement and outpost growth, alongside mounting restrictions on farming and grazing land.
According to the commission, the boundary shift fits into a wider pattern in which Israeli authorities use a mix of legal and administrative tools — "state land" and "government property" declarations, confiscation and expropriation orders, and adjustments to settlement jurisdiction lines — to extend control over Palestinian territory.
This isn't an isolated case: in August, the commission disclosed that Israeli authorities had classified about 1,152 dunams (284 acres) belonging to Sinjil, Al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya and Qaryut as "government property," a move tied to expanding the Karmei Oz settlement and linking settlements and outposts across the stretch between northern Ramallah and southern Nablus.
Under international law, Israeli settlements built in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal.
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