The Ministry of Defense in Israel has announced the official approval of the expropriation of approximately 370 acres of land near the city of Jericho in the West Bank.
Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement group, reported that the land grab is Israel's largest land expropriation in the Palestinian territories since the incident in 2014 where Israel declared nearly 1,000 acres of the West Bank as state land. The move drew international criticism at the time.
"The government's decision is another step on the way to destroy the possibility for a two state solution," Peace Now said in a statement.
The Israeli occupation of the West Bank has been going on since 1967. The West Bank, defined by the 1967 borders, is part of the proposed area for a future Palestinian state.
COGAT, an Israeli defense organization, claimed the land expropriation was approved by senior Israeli leaders and is in the final stages of implementation.
