Hamas Official: ‘israel’ Seizing More Land Seizure in Ethnic Cleansing Policy
A senior official from Hamas has issued a warning concerning the increasing confiscation of land by Israel in the occupied West Bank. The official described these actions as a continuation of what they consider to be the regime's policy of ethnic cleansing.
Abdul Rahman Shadid stated on Wednesday that these actions demonstrate the regime’s commitment to continuing its systematic land acquisition policies and enforcing its wider plans for annexation and displacement.
A representative from Hamas stated that Israel’s move to seize additional Palestinian land in the village of Al-Mughayyir, near Ramallah, is an element of the regime’s extensive settlement strategy, aimed at isolating Palestinian villages from their neighboring areas.
The plan involves the expropriation of agricultural land, the construction of settlement roads, and the expansion of nearby settlement outposts. These actions pose a threat to the livelihoods of local residents, weaken their resilience, and transform the land into a means of pressure and extortion.
Shadid highlighted that the confiscation of land by Israel is a continuation of its policy of ethnic cleansing, with the objective of displacing the indigenous residents of the West Bank.
He stated that the measure is intended to facilitate further expansion of settlements and constitutes a complete war crime.
Shadid has urged the international community and relevant organizations to take swift action to halt Israel’s settlement plans, emphasizing the need for measures that extend beyond routine statements of concern and standard condemnations.
He called upon the Palestinian population to bolster their resolve and unify in a cohesive national endeavor to back the fight for resilience, energizing all forms of resistance against the occupation and derailing its settlement initiatives.
Israel has authorized the creation of 19 additional settlements in the occupied West Bank, increasing the total number of settlements legalized or approved in the past three years to 69.
Israel has maintained control over the West Bank since 1967. The region has experienced a significant escalation in violence following the commencement of the conflict involving Gaza in October 2023.
Over the past two years, approximately 1,102 Palestinians have lost their lives in the occupied West Bank, with nearly 11,000 others sustaining injuries as a result of assaults by Israeli military forces and settlers.
In July 2024, the International Court of Justice issued a ruling declaring Israel’s extended occupation of historic Palestine as unlawful, demanding the removal of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
