Israel seizes 550 acres of Palestinian land in Salfit
Military order cites security needs, while Palestinian officials say such seizures are reshaping land access around illegal settlements
RAMALLAH, Palestine (MNTV) — Israeli authorities have ordered the seizure of about 550 acres of Palestinian land belonging to the town of Marda in the northern occupied West Bank, citing what they describe as “military purposes.”
According to the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, a new military order covers approximately 2,224 dunams of land in the Wadi Qasim and Kafif al-Abhar areas.
The order transfers control of the targeted territory to the Israeli military commander through an official from Israel’s Defense Ministry.
According to maps attached to the order, the land lies south of Route 505, close to a junction connecting the main road with a local route leading toward an area north of the Israeli settlement of Ariel.
The commission said the location has strategic significance because it overlooks and controls an important transportation route. It said the stated purpose of the seizure is to establish a communications or observation facility.
Palestinian authorities said the latest order reflects a broader pattern in which Israeli authorities use military seizure orders to take control of Palestinian land and alter access to roads, corridors and areas surrounding Israeli settlements.
The commission reported that Israeli authorities issued 33 military orders during July, including 31 new orders to seize large areas of Palestinian land. It said the orders collectively targeted more than 205,000 acres.
Palestinian officials and rights groups have repeatedly warned that land seizures, settlement expansion and restrictions on Palestinian movement are contributing to the fragmentation of communities across the occupied West Bank.
According to Palestinian figures cited by the commission, about 750,000 Israeli settlers live in 156 settlements and 360 outposts across the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.
Palestinian authorities accuse settlers and Israeli forces of using violence, land seizures and other measures to pressure Palestinian communities to leave their land.
The latest seizure in Marda adds to growing concerns over the expansion of Israeli control over Palestinian territory and the continued loss of privately owned land in the occupied West Bank.
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