Israel Seizes Land to Connect Two Illegal West Bank Settlements
JERUSALEM: The Israeli army has seized land under the control of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the occupied West Bank to build a road connecting two new illegal settlements, according to a report by the Haaretz newspaper.
According to the report, the Israeli army’s Central Command Chief, Avi Blot, signed 15 land seizure orders in Area A to build a route connecting the illegal settlements of Noa and Emek Dotan.
According to Haaretz, Noa and Emek Dotan are among the new illegal settlements secretly approved by the Israeli Security Cabinet in April 2026. It was part of a package involving 34 settlements in the occupied West Bank.
According to the Israeli anti-settlement group Kerem Navot, this is the first time the Israeli army has used land seizure orders in Area A to connect illegal settlements.
Under the Oslo Accords, Area A is under Palestinian administrative and security control. Israeli law prohibits Israeli citizens from entering the area, while the PA is responsible for civil and security affairs.
Last month, several Israeli human rights organisations warned that the location of the new settlements was planned to undermine the Oslo Accords based on political directives.
“We have never seen anything like this before. Previously, land seizure orders in Area A were used for military purposes. However, now it is clearly being used to achieve civilian and political goals, namely connecting illegal settlements,” said Kerem Navot researcher, Dror Etkes.
According to Haaretz, the land seizure was carried out after the Israeli Security Cabinet approved the construction of 18 new illegal settlements in the northern West Bank, in addition to confirming dozens more settlements established by the current government.
The newspaper reported that the first group of settlers is expected to move into the two settlements next month, while infrastructure construction work is being accelerated to create ‘facts on the ground’ ahead of Israel’s general election in October.
AGENSI