Ankara: The Israeli army has seized land under Palestinian Authority control in the occupied West Bank to connect two new illegal settlements, as reported by the daily Haaretz. Avi Blot, head of the Israeli army's Central Command, has signed 15 land seizure orders in Area A to pave a road linking the illegal settlements of Noa and Emek Dotan.
According to Anadolu Agency, Noa and Emek Dotan are among the new illegal settlements secretly approved by Israel's Security Cabinet in April 2026 as part of a package that included 34 settlements in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli anti-settlement group Kerem Navot noted that this marks the first time the Israeli army has used seizure orders in Area A to connect illegal settlements.
Under the Oslo Accords, Area A is under Palestinian security and administrative control. Israeli law prohibits Israeli occupiers from entering it, with the Palestinian Authority holding civil and security responsibility there. Last month, Israeli rights groups warned that the new settlements' location was designed to undermine the Oslo Accords.
Kerem Navot researcher Dror Etkes expressed concern over the developments, stating, "Seizure orders in Area A were previously used for military purposes, but now they serve a clear civilian and political goal: connecting settlements." He further added that the orders represent a deliberate destruction of the Oslo Accords by the Israeli army, acting under political directives.
The land seizure follows the Israeli Security Cabinet's approval of 18 new illegal settlements in the northern West Bank, alongside the legalization of dozens of settlements by the current government. Haaretz reported that the first group of occupiers is expected to move into the two settlements next month, as infrastructure work is being expedited ahead of Israel's general election in October.
Earlier Wednesday, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich praised his government's settlement expansion decisions, describing them as promises fulfilled. He stated on social media, "104 new settlements are just part of the declarations that became reality."
According to Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now, there are currently 141 illegal settlements and 360 outposts in the West Bank, in addition to 15 settlements in East Jerusalem. UN Security Council Resolution 2334 of 2016 declares Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, as having no legal validity and constituting a flagrant violation of international law.
In a landmark advisory opinion in July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Palestinians warn that Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank, including home demolitions and illegal settlement expansion, are paving the way for formal annexation and undermining the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state under relevant UN resolutions.