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New York TimesJun 22
Watchdog: Israel Seizes Single-Largest Swath of West Bank Land
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Above: The over 700 km long wall that separates Israel from Palestine seen from the city of Bethlehem, West Bank. Image copyright: Alessandro Levati/Contributor/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
According to Peace Now, an Israeli rights group, the Israeli government has approved the largest seizure of land in the West Bank since the 1993 Oslo Accords — a political framework created to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Peace Now claims that the appropriation of 12.7 square kilometers (nearly five square miles) of land in the Jordan Valley was approved late last month. The approval makes 2024 the peak year for land appropriation in the West Bank.
The Spin
Left narrative
Though Israel's settler movement is a fringe segment of Israeli society, more must be done to prevent the seizure of land in the West Bank. Indeed, Israel is a democracy in which everyone is entitled to their views, but prominent Israeli lawmakers often condemn settlement expansion. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs to understand that politicians like Smotrich only endanger Israel's security.
Right narrative
Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel has obstructed the establishment of a Palestinian state. Since Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, the enclave has essentially existed as a terrorist-run proto-state run by Hamas. Given the Palestinian Authority's inefficacy, Israel has no partners for peace, and the last 20 years in Gaza prove this. A violent, terrorist-run Palestinian state would be an existential threat to Israel's security, and settlement expansion is a natural reaction to this reality.
Pro-Palestine narrative
Though the Israeli and Western media try to portray settlers as a fringe element of Israeli society, the state was founded based on ethnic cleansing and land theft. Israeli leaders on the left and right have continued to approve settlement expansion, and Palestinian land has continued to recede since 1948. Israeli politicians are also increasingly open about Israel's intentions — the incremental destruction of Palestine.
