Watchdog: Israel Seizes Single-Largest Swath of West Bank Land

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Facts

  • According to Peace Now, an Israeli rights group, the Israeli government has approved the largest seizure of land in the West Bank since the 1993 Oslo Accords — a political framework created to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.1
  • Peace Now claims that the appropriation of 12.7 square kilometers (nearly five square miles) of land in the Jordan Valley was approved late last month. The approval makes 2024 the peak year for land appropriation in the West Bank.2
  • The watchdog said that Israel has officially designated the land as 'state property,' which allows it to be leased to Israelis and prevents Palestinians from privately owning it.3
  • Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also holds a position in the Defense Ministry, claimed that new settlements were intended to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state. The plan would also reportedly legalize settlements previously deemed illegal outposts.4
  • The US, the UK, the EU, and Canada have placed sanctions on Israeli settlers and groups in the West Bank. Settler violence against Palestinians has reportedly worsened since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel.5
  • More than 500K Jewish settlers with Israeli citizenship live in over 100 settlements in the West Bank, with the 3M Palestinians in the territory living under Israeli military rule.6

Sources: 1CNN, 2Guardian, 3Voice of America, 4Timesofisrael, 5ACLED and 6Al Jazeera.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by Timesofisrael. Though Israel's settler movement is a fringe segment of Israeli society, more must be done to prevent the seizure of land in the West Bank. Indeed, Israel is a democracy in which everyone is entitled to their views, but prominent Israeli lawmakers often condemn settlement expansion. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs to understand that politicians like Smotrich only endanger Israel's security.
  • Right narrative, as provided by Tablet Magazine. Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel has obstructed the establishment of a Palestinian state. Since Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, the enclave has essentially existed as a terrorist-run proto-state run by Hamas. Given the Palestinian Authority's inefficacy, Israel has no partners for peace, and the last 20 years in Gaza prove this. A violent, terrorist-run Palestinian state would be an existential threat to Israel's security, and settlement expansion is a natural reaction to this reality.
  • Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Middle East Eye. Though the Israeli and Western media try to portray settlers as a fringe element of Israeli society, the state was founded based on ethnic cleansing and land theft. Israeli leaders on the left and right have continued to approve settlement expansion, and Palestinian land has continued to recede since 1948. Israeli politicians are also increasingly open about Israel's intentions — the incremental destruction of Palestine.

Predictions