Bethlehem:Israeli occupation authorities have declared 182.81 dunums of land in the towns of Battir, Sa'ir, and Ash-Shuyukh, located in the Bethlehem and Hebron governorates, as 'state land.' This action is viewed as a move to consolidate colonial control over Palestinian territories.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA, the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission reported that the declarations were signed on October 18, 2026, by the official responsible for government and abandoned property within the Israeli occupation's 'Civil Administration.'
The commission highlighted that these declarations reflect the mechanisms of colonial expansion, where settlement establishment and outpost legalization are followed by land reclassification and infrastructure provision. This process, they argue, entrenches institutional control, creates land reserves for further expansion, and fragments Palestinian geography, leading to de facto annexation and hindering the development potential of Palestinian land.