Israel declares West Bank land as state property for settlement expansion

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on 23 June that 465 dunams (115 hectares) of land near Ramallah and al‑Bireh in the occupied West Bank were being designated as “state land” to expand the Givat Haroeh settlement. Smotrich said, “We continue to build, expand, and strengthen effective sovereignty on the ground,” adding that a Palestinian state “will not be established” during his term.

In a related move, Israeli occupation authorities declared 464.4 dunams of land belonging to the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, as state land, creating a continuous corridor linking the outpost Givat Haroeh (renamed Karmi Oz) with neighboring settlements. The “State Land” policy, used since the early 1980s, reclassifies privately owned or agricultural Palestinian land for Israeli settlement use and is deemed illegal under international law.

Human‑rights groups and United Nations bodies have warned that these declarations constitute a violation of the laws governing occupied territories and further undermine prospects for a two‑state solution.