Israel orders seizure of 9 acres of Palestinian land

Israeli occupation authorities yesterday notified the residents of Deir Istiya, northwest of Salfit, that large swathes of the town’s land will be confiscated to expand illegal settlements built on Palestinian property.

Firas Diab, the mayor of Deir Istiya, reported that the occupation authorities delivered a notification changing the land use designation to residential purposes. This involves the confiscation of 35 dunams (3.5 hectares) of Palestinian land in the Kirsun, Al-Ball’ah and Wadi Al-Hamam areas in Wadi Qana, west of the town, to expand the Karnei Shomron settlement, which is built on Palestinian land.

Diab added that the occupation is targeting the Palestinian presence to force residents out of their land, replacing them with settlers in Wadi Qana.

Wadi Qana, which spans more than 10,000 dunams (1,000 hectares), was declared a nature reserve by Israeli authorities in 1983, prohibiting Palestinian landowners from working there while allowing the construction and expansion of settlements. There are currently eight illegal settlements in the area: Immanuel to the east, Karnei Shomron and Ma’ale Shomron to the north, Ginat Shomron and the settlement outpost Metan to the west, and Yakir and Nofim to the south.

The occupation authorities have recently intensified their policy of seizing vast areas of Palestinian land in the villages and towns of the Salfit governorate.

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