Israeli authorities on Sunday took over 300-dunums of land near the town of Ya’bad, to the west of Jenin, and declared it a closed military zone, according to local sources.

Samer Abu Baker, head of Ya’bad municipality, said Israeli troops encircled the land with barbed wires and declared it a closed military zone. The land is just located outside the Israeli settlement of Mevo Dotan, illegally built on the land of Ya’bad.

The official municipal source said that at the beginning of this month, the Israeli army handed over a notice regarding their intent to take over the land for military purposes, banning owners' access to their rightful land.

He said local Palestinians in Ya’bad expressed concern over possible further confiscations of agricultural land in the town, which is remarked for its agriculture industry. 

Settlements built on Palestinian land occupied by Israel, including East Jerusalem, are deemed illegal by the international law.

Israel’s refusal to halt their construction and expansion of illegal settlements has  continually obstructed the resumption of the peace process and increased resentment and distrust among Palestinians.

Peace Now, an Israeli human rights group, says that Israel’s confiscation of Palestinian land hampers any chance for achieving a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians based on a two-state solution.

Source: WAFA