ISRAEL SEIZES LAND IN WEST BANK TO PREVENT A
PALESTINIAN STATE
Allan C. Brownfeld, Editor
Special Interest Report
August 2024
Israel has approved the largest seizure of land in the occupied West Bank in over
three decades, reports the Associated Press (July 3, 2024): “Israel’s aggressive
expansion…reflects the settler community’s strong influence in the government…
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler himself, has turbocharged the policy
of expansion…saying he aims to solidify Israel’s hold on the territory and
prevent the creation of a Palestinian state.”
Authorities approved the appropriation of 12.7 square kilometers (nearly 5 square
miles of land) in the Jordan Valley, according to a copy of the order obtained by
the AP. Data from Peace Now indicate it was the largest single appropriation
approved since the 1993 Oslo Accords. Settlement monitors said the land grab
connects Israeli settlements along a key corridor bordering Jordan, a move they
said undermines the prospect of a contiguous Palestinian state.
U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric called it “a step in the wrong direction,”
adding that “the direction we want to be heading is to find a negotiated two-
state solution.” According to the U.N., about 700,000 Israeli settlers live in
the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Much of the international community
condemns these settlements as a violation of international law.
Nader Weiman, a former Israeli Special Forces soldier, is now director of
Breaking The Silence, an organization of former Israeli Army veterans that
advocates an end to Israel’s occupation. He said settlers have stepped up
attacks on Palestinian communities while the world’s attention was focused on
Gaza. The U.N. Humanitarian affairs office has recorded more than 650 attacks
against Palestinians since Oct. 7. Settlers have killed at least 9 Palestinians
and Israeli security forces have killed more than 400.
Asked why settlers destroy schools, Weiman responds: “Because you want families
to feel they are not safe here. With no school here, the kids cannot return.
And if you do not have kids, you don’t have life. It’s not just about stealing
livestock; it’s about destroying the sense of being safe…”
On July 19, the International Court of Justice, the top judicial arm of the
United Nations, said Israel should “bring an end to its illegal occupation of
Palestinian territory, cease new settlement activity, evacuate existing
settlements and pay reparations to Palestinians who have lost land and property.”
The Court said Israel is responsible for “systematic discrimination” against
Palestinians based on race or ethnicity “and breached their right to self-
determination.” (Washington Post, July 19, 2024).
In advance of Prime minister Netanyahu’s visit to Washington in July, the Knesset
passed legislation opposing the establishment of a Palestinian state, despite the
fact that U.S. officials have emphasized the goal of a two-state solution. *
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