Hamas slams Israel’s appropriation of private Palestinian land in West Bank

Hamas yesterday condemned Israel’s appropriation of large swathes of private Palestinian land in the northern occupied West Bank.

“Hamas strongly denounces and rejects the Zionist occupation authorities’ decision to seize ten thousand dunums of our occupied lands in the West Bank cities of Salfit and Qalqilya,” an official statement said.

The Palestinian resistance movement stated that the Palestinian land was stolen “to expand colonial settlements in the area and connect them together.”

Hamas stressed: “This decision represents a new act of aggression against our Palestinian people and their land, violating international norms and laws that condemn settlements as illegal.”

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It called on the international community take up “its responsibilities and implement effective measures to prevent further expansion of colonial settlements.”

Hamas concluded the statement saying: “Our Palestinian people will stand against these settler-colonial measures and continue their legitimate struggle against the Israeli occupation to regain their rights.”

This comes after the Supreme Council of the Israeli Planning Committee authorised the theft of 10,000 dunams (10 square kilometres) of Palestinian land in Salfit and Qalqilya.