Israel continues to plunder Palestinian land as a result of West Bank colonisation.

Timmy Mabs| 3rd July, 2024.

Palestinians walk along a damaged road following an Israeli operation in Nur Shams refugee camp, near the West Bank town of Tulkarem, July 1, 2024. Photo credit: AP 

As disclosed on Wednesday by an anti-settlement watchdog, Israel has authorised the biggest takeover of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank in more than thirty years. 

According to Peace Now, over five square kilometres of Jordan Valley territory has lately been cleared for appropriation by the authorities. According to data gathered by the group, this is the biggest single expropriation authorised since the Oslo Accords of 1993 between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation.

The West Bank has seen an increase in settler violence against Palestinians during Israel's invasion of Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of over 37,000 people. 

A square mile of land was taken in February and about three square miles of land in the West Bank in March. The land seizure was authorised late last month but was not made public until this Wednesday. Consequently, according to Peace Now, 2024 will be by far the highest year for Israeli land grabs in the occupied West Bank.

The contiguous land pieces are situated northeast of Ramallah, the capital city of the West Bank and home to the Palestinian Authority. The Israeli government has made them state property, meaning that Palestinians cannot own them privately and can only lease them to Israelis. 

According to Palestinians, one of the primary obstacles to any long-term peace deal is the growth of settlements in the occupied West Bank. They are prohibited in the majority of countries.

Throughout the West Bank, Israel has constructed well over a hundred settlements, some of which are miniature towns or fully established suburbs. More over 500,000 Israeli-citizen Jewish settlers reside there, while the three million Palestinians in the West Bank are subject to unrestricted Israeli military authority. 

While 60% of the Israeli-occupied West Bank is off-limits to Palestinian Authority operations, the Authority does oversee some areas of the land where the settlements are situated. Leading human rights groups have accused Israel of the international crime of apartheid, citing its authority over the West Bank as evidence. Israel denies these accusations as an assault on its legitimacy.

Leading human rights organisations have accused Israel of the international crime of apartheid, citing its authority over the West Bank as evidence. Israel denies these accusations as an assault on its legitimacy.

Since assuming greater control over Israel's management of the occupied area under the current ruling coalition—the most politically extremist in Israeli history—far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has accelerated land seizures and settlement development.